Assurance given by the government on addressing immigrant grievances and concerns.
**"We're all about upholding free thought, mate. But let's make one thing crystal clear - extremism ain't freedom of thought. That's all about hate speech, intolerance, or political manipulation of these freedoms," said Portugal's President's officer, António Leitão Amaro.
Leitão Amaro was responding to queries during a Council of Ministers meeting. There was a peaceful protest by groups of immigrants at the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA), in Porto, and the police intervened to remove an agitator who mixed with the protesters, spewing anti-immigration rhetoric.
The minister asserted that the government values those who express their concerns because the State tends to be sluggish addressing their legitimate demands. Yet, they also acknowledge the concerns of folks worried about loose migration policies.
"We ain't fools, are we? For those anxious about lacking docs, they've got the right to the info knowing they're following Portuguese law. And, for them anxious about security checks, we listen, and we take action when we take steps like these. Otherwise, we're dancing with extremes, building walls or pitchforking people down the path of disgrace," he declared.
Leitão Amaro pointed out that the Government addressed over 440,000 pending regularization requests, although nearly half were declined. This initiative, he claimed, was a significant change introduced by the current administration, as "those once undocumented are now getting an official response from the State."
The minister also spoke about ending the practice of ignoring issues like deficient criminal records and skirting biometric data collection from immigrants, stating that disregarding regulations wasn't fair to those complying with laws, nor to Portuguese citizens adhering to laws in their everyday lives.
"We want to be a nation of rules, son. Rules keep our bridges propped up, our walls a building project, not a barrier. We've gotta maintain our ability to integrate people with humanity," he concluded.
Portugal's political landscape has altered drastically with the ascendancy of the far-right Chega party, which promotes anti-immigration stances and battles perceived corruption. This context offers insight into the government's reaction to immigration protests and its determination to distinguish between free speech and extremism.
- Despite the rise of the far-right Chega party in Portugal's political landscape, which advocates for anti-immigration policies, Portugal's President's officer, António Leitão Amaro, emphasized the necessity of distinguishing free speech from extremism, as the government continues to value public concern while addressing legitimate demands and concerns about loose migration policies.
- In the aftermath of a peaceful protest by immigrants at the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) in Porto, where an agitator spewing anti-immigration rhetoric was removed by police, Leitão Amaro called for maintaining the balance between upholding the rule of law and promoting integration with humanity, by differentiating between those who express concerns about security checks and loose migration policies and those who resort to extremist views, such as hate speech or politically manipulating freedoms.
