Published October 26,2024
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Thousands of individuals took to the principle avenue of downtown Lisbon on Saturday to protest police violence, a number of days after a policeman shot a Cape Verde-born Portuguese resident, triggering a wave of unrest.
Rights group Vida Justa, which known as the protest, modified the path to keep away from clashes with supporters of the far-right anti-immigration occasion Chega, which held a separate smaller rally additionally in central Lisbon in assist of the police.
Violence had damaged out on the multi-ethnic outskirts of the capital after Monday’s taking pictures of Odair Moniz, a 43-year-old chef, within the Amadora suburb.
Demonstrators shouting “justice for Odair” carried posters bearing slogans reminiscent of “Stop killing us” and “Who to call when the killer is the police?”
Fabio Lima, 36, mentioned “police violence is a common practice in our neighborhoods”.
“The police, who are supposed to make us calm and safe, leave us anxious and scared. I’m much safer in my neighborhood without the presence of the police … This is not a normal reaction,” he mentioned.
Vida Justa mentioned “violence and police impunity” should cease and other people within the poorest suburbs can not “be treated as non-citizens”.
Gabriela Ferreira, 42, mentioned it was “important to demand justice, to be on the streets and show that we are not afraid”.
“There is discrimination and some infiltration in the police forces of people who are openly racist, who may even have some fascist or extreme right-wing political links,” she mentioned.
Last 12 months, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination mentioned it was involved about extreme use of pressure by police in Portugal, significantly “against people of African descent”.
Source: www.anews.com.tr