Sunday marks the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees and Chega has called for a protest on the same day against what it calls “uncontrolled immigration in Portugal”
The director of the Portuguese Catholic Migration Works (OCPM), Eugénia Quaresma has said that demonstration against immigrants makes no sense”, especially on the day when the “Church shows its compassion and understanding for migrants. "Today, the discourse against immigrants is made by those who “are provoking wars and are unable to promote peace", Eugénia Quaresma told Lusa.
Sunday marks the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees and Chega has called for a protest on the same day against what it calls “uncontrolled immigration in Portugal”, which shows an “attempt to politically exploit” the migratory phenomenon, the leader said.
“We are in a time when we are trying to politically instrumentalize migration” and “we have to look at people in their humanity, at those who welcome them and those who cannot remain in their countries”, he stated.
Today, the discourse against immigrants is made by those who “are provoking wars and are unable to promote peace,” he said.
For the OCPM leader, it is “essential to look at the human side of this phenomenon that is increasingly structural” and “here to stay”, as proven by recent data from Portugal, which points to more than one million immigrants in 2023.
“We should not be frightened by the numbers,” because “it is only possible to build a more cohesive and more human society with immigrants, refugees, and international students,” he said, recalling Pope Francis’ message for Sunday: “God walks with his people.”
The Church recommends that Christians “look at the potential of the immigrant as a person of faith, as a complete person” and not just an economic instrument.
For Eugénia Quaresma, “there is a profound lack of knowledge of the Church’s teaching on immigrants, which advocates inclusion and not exclusion”.
Because, he added, “without immigrants, the economy would stop.”
Therefore, referring to the action of André Ventura's party, Eugénia Quaresma considers that “it is not against immigrants that we must demonstrate, but rather against inequalities, against poverty and to promote peace”.
Politicians should “promote the dignity of people and the poor and the freedom for people to choose to stay in one country or another,” said the Catholic leader, rejecting the idea that “those who need to emigrate are criminals.”
On the other hand, “diversity is a gift, migrations help us to grow as a Church, we are called to dialogue with different cultures, to dialogue with different religions, and this is positive, because we are called to be bridge builders”, he added.
“We can only be better based on our differences, we have to learn from others”, said Eugénia Quaresma.
The leader of Chega announced the demonstration against government measures and the excess of immigrants in the country, associating this phenomenon with what he says is an increase in “insecurity on the streets”.
Both national authorities and the government have claimed that there is no relationship between crime and immigrants, rejecting that there is data that points to greater insecurity.
In the presentation of the Action Plan for Migration, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro once again rejected “any direct link” between the “capacity to welcome immigrants and increases in crime rates”.