Friday Briefing: Chega pushes for migration clampdown

Good morning and welcome to PORTUGAL DECODED. Last Sunday, Chega party rallied thousands of people in Lisbon and pledged to "save Portugal" from migrants. Why is it fuelling anti-migrant fears again?

TALK OF THE TOWN

POLITICS

After a disappointing first meeting and a tumultous afternoon in Parliament, PM Montenegro and Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos inched closer to a deal on the 2025 State Budget last night (More).

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa appointed Amadeu Guerra as Portugal’s new Attorney General, the controversial position at the heart of recent political scandals, including the resignation of António Costa in November 2023 (More).

SOCIETY

In a rare occurrence, two men and a pregnant woman were shot dead in Penha da França district of Lisbon, leaving Portugal in shock. On the following night, two cars in the area were set on fire in an apparent act of revenge (More).

After weeks of speculation, a ship carrying explosives bound for Israel withdrew the Portuguese flag. Meanwhile, Portugal asked Israel to reconsider its decision to ban UN Secretary General António Guterres from its territory (More).

ECONOMICS

Government, business associations and one of the two national trade union confederations in Portugal signed an agreement foreseeing faster than expected wage rises and new measures to boost economic growth (More).

The Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN) launched a new online platform to speed up processing times for nationality requests, but users reported outages in the system in the first days (More).

CULTURE AND SPORTS

Portuguese film director Laura Carreira was awarded the Silver Shell for Best Direction at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain for her debut feature “On Falling” (More).

Closed for 30 years, Lisbon’s Variedades Theatre reopens this weekend with a program of free activities. Renowned architectural practice Aires Mateus designed the renovation project (More).

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DECODER

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What Chega wants?

Last Sunday, some three thousand people, from across social classes, age groups and even ethnic backgrounds, took part in a demonstration in downtown Lisbon called by far-right Chega party against “uncontrolled immigration”. During the protest, Chega’s leader André Ventura and other demonstrators linked immigration to crime and stressed that migration quotas were needed to control who enters the country. Their views target largely low-income migrants from South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Protesters waved Portuguese flags, chanting the national anthem and shouted slogans such as “Portugal is ours”. Members of two ultranationalist organizations - Grupo 1143 and Reconquista - also participated in the protest.

The rally in Praça do Rossia last Sunday | André Ventura via Facebook

What else happened?

As the anti-immigration march proceeded through areas with large immigrant populations, tensions arose between the demonstrators and pro-migration activists. Some pro-migration supporters carried posters saying “No Portugal without immigrants,” and minor clashes occurred, leading to the detention of one woman and a man who were protesting against the anti-immigration march. The atmosphere remained tense as the two sides confronted each other during the demonstration​.

The pro-migration demonstrator who allegedly threw objects at the column was one of the two arrested by the PSP | Leonardo Negrão

Is any of this new for Chega?

In a way, yes. Since its foundation in 2019, Chega has brought racist and anti-migrant narratives to the Portugal’s mainstream politics. In 2020, Ventura wrote on social media that Joacine Katar Moreira, a Black MP from the eco-Socialist party Livre, should go back “to her own country” and he has called for “the drastic reduction of the Islamic presence in the European Union.” But the party lightened up on its anti-migrant rhetoric in the run-up to the 2024 general elections, choosing to focus instead on corruption. This decision paid off with the party becoming Portugal’s third-largest political force, winning 50 of the 230 seats in the parliament.

So why is Chega bringing this up again?

Relevance. With budget negotiations dominating the political agenda, and a new Government in office (mostly free of scandals), Chega wants to show that it’s a political force to be reckoned with in whatever happens in the future. Moreover, there’s an overlap between the Government’s centre-right programmatic targeting and Chega’s. Therefore, Chega decided to focus on issues that distinguish it from the Government, namely on anti-immigration policies, much like the programs of similar far-right movements across Europe.

Does this mean that Chega has given up on approving the budget?

No. As tensions between the Government and the Socialists escaled, Chega’s chances of becoming the linchpin for the 2025 State Budget have increased. Reports say that President Marcelo has told PM Montenegro that, if there is no other option, he should seek to strike a deal with Chega. What that entails is still unclear but André Ventura said on Sunday that he wants a deal “for four years” and not just to approve the State Budget for 2025. In other words, he wants power, and not just policy concessions. Last night’s developments may indicate that he’ll get neither.

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TIPS OF THE WEEK

Lisbon

All the President’s Men

Between October and December, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation presents the film cycle ‘All the President’s Men’, which proposes a reflection on democracy in the United States of America. Curated by Pedro Mexia (who is President Marcelo’s cultural advisor), the series features eight films shot between the 1930s and 2010s, that suggest different perspectives on the US electoral and legislative process. The cycle opens on 6 October, in the Grand Auditorium, with a conversation between Pedro Mexia and Maria Filomena Molder, followed by the 1939 classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, directed by Frank Capra. The remaining sessions will take place in the Studio of the recently renovated CAM.

Porto

The Crucible

In 1692, in the small American city of Salem, several men and women are persecuted and put in trial for witchcraft. Rumours and lies are aflame, and no one seems safe from accusation or revenge. Premiered in 1953, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible was conceived as an allegory of the darkness of McCarthyism, which corroded the heart of America. Out of its epicentre – a primeval fascination with paranoia, a collective rage that demands the sacrifice of individuals – multiple echoes resound today. Directed by Nuno Cardoso, The Crucible is back until October 6, at São João National Theatre. Shown in Portuguese with English subtitles. More information here.

Alentejo

Alentejo Walking Festival

Between October 10-20, the new Alentejo Walking Festival will showcase the region’s nature and culture in a relaxed and healthy way. The festival kicks off with a conference on ‘Walking Tourism’ on October 10 in Montemor-o-Novo, and continues on 12 October, starting at 9.30am, with a walking tour ‘Between the points and hills of Arraiolos’, followed by a community lunch. On Sunday October 13, also at 9.30am, another walk is planned in Montemor-o-Novo, which ‘combines literary notes with walking’. The walk will be followed by a social lunch with regional cuisine. On the weekend of October 19-20, there will be more than half a hundred circuits, of low and moderate difficulty, so that they are accessible to everyone, in the 47 municipalities of Alentejo. To consult the full list of ‘All of Alentejo on foot’ routes and sign up for the initiative go to the official Alentejo Walking Festival website.

Sagres

Birdwatching Festival 2024

In October, thousands of birds fly over the Algarve, en route to wintering grounds in Africa. Join the birdwatchers who flock to the region for the largest nature festival in Portugal, which will take place until Sunday, October 6. The program includes more than 270 different activities, such as field trips, boat trips, short-courses, workshops, bird ringing and monitoring sessions, pedestrian walks, guided tours about the history of Sagres, walks with donkeys or horses or boat trips to watch dolphins or birds. Some activities are free and others have a special price for the festival. During the four days of the festival the participants may have access also to several discounts in services promoted by local partners, including accommodation, restaurants and shops. More information here.

Across Portugal

French Film Festival 2024

Between October 3 and November 30, the French Film Festival is back again to celebrate its 25th anniversary with a vast programme that includes many premieres and two new sections across several Portuguese cities: Lisbon, Almada, Coimbra, Oeiras, Porto, Lagos, Beja, Faro and Viseu. Also noteworthy is the film Sidonie au Japon, and André Téchiné’s most recent work, Les gens d’à côté, both starring Isabelle Huppert. In November, a complete retrospective of the work of filmmaker Chris Marker (1921-2012) is shown at Cinemateca. Full schedule here.