In June, the Government changed the law on foreigners and, among other measures, eliminated the expression of interest, a legal resource that allowed immigrants who had arrived in the country with a tourist visa to legalize their status in Portugal.
The coordinator of the Left Bloc, Mariana Mortágua has
accused the Government of “brutal irresponsibility” by ending “the only mechanism that existed to regularize immigrants who were already in Portugal” and considered that the current law increases “illegal immigration”.
“What the government did with the immigration law was brutally irresponsible in ending the only mechanism that existed to regularize immigrants who were already in Portugal. What the government did was increase illegal immigration in Portugal and this will have consequences, because illegal immigration means immigrants who work for lower wages, with fewer rights, and are less able to integrate into society. Illegal immigration means that there will be no family reunification,” said Mariana Mortágua.
The BE coordinator spoke to journalists in Lisbon during the first Marxa Cabral in Portugal organized by the Black Movement.
In June, the Government changed the law on foreigners and, among other measures, eliminated the expression of interest, a legal resource that allowed immigrants who had arrived in the country with a tourist visa to legalize their status in Portugal.
For Mariana Mortágua, “this way the Government is dealing with migration will make the problem worse”.
“Instead of tackling the problem of racism and xenophobia, instead of providing conditions and allowing the country to look at the immigration it needs from a different perspective, such as including people, it is doing the opposite, which is pushing them into hiding and thus giving rise to other phenomena that are fuelled by the extreme right,” he explained.
Regarding the importance of this demonstration, the BE coordinator stated that it has “a double importance”, not only to “remember and celebrate Amílcar Cabral, who is a central figure in Portuguese democracy”, but also to “make an interpretation of today”.
“We have been witnessing the growth of racist and xenophobic movements in Portuguese society, which are being driven by far-right groups, neo-Nazi groups and also by far-right parties, such as Chega. Therefore, we need to respond,” he stressed.
The BE coordinator also considered that “these demonstrations have historical importance”, and that there is “much to be done in Portugal to combat racism”.
“The phenomena of violence that we have been witnessing in recent times in Portugal, never seen before in Portugal, attacks on immigrants, attacks in schools, are linked to this resurgence of hatred and these demonstrations of hatred, which we want to combat,” he concluded.
Hundreds of people, of different races, genders and ages, will participate this afternoon in Lisbon, in the first Marxa Cabral in Portugal organized by the Black Movement.
This march will take place on the International Day of Peace and will go along Avenida da Liberdade, culminating in Rossio (Largo de São Domingos), where a declaration will be read according to which September will be, from today onwards, the month of Marxas Cabral in Portugal.