Friday Briefing: Migration and security at the Christmas table

Good morning and welcome to PORTUGAL DECODED. A robust "special police operation" last Thursday has sparked fiery debates on Christmas tables nationwide. What went down, and who had the most to say?

TALK OF THE TOWN

Via Demand Gen Report

POLITICS

In his first Christmas message as Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro promised to strengthen public services and housing, increase wealth creation, regulate immigration and safeguard security (More).

Donald Trump appointed John Arrigo, a Florida auto entrepreneur, as the new US ambassador to Portugal. He described him as “an extraordinary business leader” and emphasised his commitment to “putting America first” (More).

SOCIETY

Healthcare professionals have threatened to engage in civil disobedience if the Government proceeds with legislation restricting access to the National Health Service (SNS) for undocumented and non-resident foreign nationals (More).

In the first five days of the holidays period, 20 to 24 December, there were 13 deaths and 653 injured, in a total of 1938 accidents on Portuguese roads (More).

ECONOMICS

The Fiscal Incentive for Scientific Research and Innovation (IFICI+) tax regime that replaces the Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) program covers eight “highly qualified” professionals, according to the decree published on Monday (More).

The year 2025 should see a drop in the inflation rate, but families will face generalised price rises for some services and goods, such as tolls, rents, telecommunications and bread (More).

CULTURE AND SPORTS

The cultural community is in mourning following the tragic death of Pedro Sobral, a leading figure in the publishing industry, following a crash while he was cycling in Lisbon on Saturday morning (More).

Sporting CP has parted ways with manager João Pereira, less than a month after he stepped into the role following Ruben Amorim’s move to Manchester United. Rui Borges, from Vitória de Guimarães, has taken over as the new manager (More).

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DECODER

Who said what about the operations?

• President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa: Police actions such as the one that took place in the Martim Moniz area of Lisbon this Thursday require “modesty” and must be carried out “respecting constitutional and legal rules.”

• President of the Portuguese Parliament José Pedro Aguiar Branco: “The perception of insecurity, in a dispersed way, is a reality.”

• Prime Minister Luís Montenegro: “One thing seems obvious to me: it’s very important that operations like this take place, so that there’s visibility and proximity in policing and monitoring illicit activities.”

• Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro: “We’ve instructed the security forces, that multi-force team, to continue doing this work.”

• Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos: “We have in Portugal right now the most extremist Government that we have had in the last decades of our democracy.”

• Chega leader André Ventura: “I’ve come to tell these residents that those who are illegal should go back to their land and only those who are legal should stay.”

• Liberals leader Rui Rocha: “We already have spectacle politics, now it seems we want to have spectacle police. I think we should resist this temptation to politicise the police.”

• Lisbon’s Patriarch Rui Valério: “I can assure you that it (the police) has a very profound ethical dimension. In this ethical dimension, there is a basic principle. [...] The police never use means that are disproportionate to their intended purpose.”

• Internal Security Observatory (NGO): “The area has been the scene of a high number of reported incidents, from thefts and robberies using bladed weapons to violent episodes such as the stoning of police vehicles or a murder,” which justifies the “more forceful intervention of the authorities.”

• Collective HuBB — Humans Before Borders (NGO): “Yet another attack on the rights of migrants in Portugal by a Government that, since taking office, has insisted on linking migration to criminality.”

• Musician Dino D’Santiago: “It wasn’t just an act of violence against immigrants; it was an act of violence against the soul of an entire nation.”

What happens next?

The General Inspectorate of Internal Administration (IGAI) has opened an enquiry into the police operation in Martim Moniz. It’s a process taken on its own initiative because there was no complaint lodged against the behaviour of the police. Meanwhile, a group of citizens is preparing a formal complaint about the operation to be delivered to the Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, on 6 January. A demonstration is scheduled for 11 January from Alameda to Martim Moniz under the slogan “Don’t put us up against the wall: Against Racism, Against Xenophobia. Liberty and Dignity.”

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TIPS OF THE WEEK

Lisbon

Reveillon 2025

On the 31st, the city’s iconic Praça do Comércio square will be transformed into a huge open-air party hall for a collective New Year’s Eve toast. José Cid - who represented Portugal in the 1980 Eurovision song contest - will take to the stage at 9:30 pm. The concert will culminate with the traditional countdown to midnight, followed by a fireworks display over the Tagus River. The party continues afterwards with a performance by Mickael Carreira, a pop musician. If - like me - you are not a fan of crowds, other places to watch the fireworks are Parque das Nações, Belém, Miradouro da Graça and the Miradouro Keil do Amaral (Monsanto).

Porto

New Year’s Eve

The New Year’s Eve party will once again be split between two stages in the city - one on Avenida dos Aliados and the other in the gardens of the Palácio de Cristal. On Avenida dos Aliados, the programme starts at 10pm with a concert by the young Nuno Ribeiro, known for songs such as ‘Longe’, ‘Assim já não vai dar’ and ‘Maria Joana’. After the midnight fireworks, Rui Veloso will return to the Aliados stage to welcome in the new year, “in a concert that promises to revisit some of the musician’s greatest songs from his almost 45-year career”. At the Palácio de Cristal, the party also starts at 10pm, with a concert by Brazilian rapper Julinho KSD, who promises to bring songs that mix lyrics in Creole, Portuguese and English. After midnight, musician and producer João Barbosa (Branko) takes to the stage for a sound journey around the world. The night ends with DJ sets by Carolina Torres at Avenida dos Aliados and Sónia Trópicos at Palácio de Cristal.

Douro

Historical Christmas Steam Train

The iconic CP 0186 steam locomotive and the five historic carriages that usually make up the Douro Historic Train, but now decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments, promise to provide an immersive journey back in time. On Saturdays and Sundays, until 5 January 2025, there will be four daily trips: two from Porto to Ermesinde and two from Ermesinde back to Porto. There will be entertainment from a theatre group, with sweets handed out to passengers, making the journey even more special and tasty. In Ermesinde, passengers can visit the Christmas Village and the ‘biggest Christmas Tree in the country’ in the Ermesinde Urban Park, just a few minutes' walk from the station. The Christmas Steam Train tickets also provide unlimited travel on Porto urban trains the same day if they show the steam train ticket.

Vila Verde

New Year’s dive in the Cávado

The traditional New Year's dive in the Cávado in Prado, Vila Verde, will take place on Sunday, January 5, at 11h15. Faial’s river beach is once again welcoming dozens of ‘brave’ people who are going to take the plunge in the middle of January. Last year, around 150 brave participants accepted the challenge. At the end, to warm up the body and strengthen the spirit, there was the usual Porto D'Honra (Port of Honour) accompanied by pastéis de nata, a moment that fostered friendship and conviviality. “Let’s make the first Sunday of the year a summer’s day,” say the organisers on Facebook.

Ferragugo

New Year’s Day swim

Ferragudo is getting ready to welcome 2025 with its traditional New Year’s Day swim, “Banho de Mar,” which challenges those brave enough to a swim in the sea on January 1, at 11am. In 2025, the event will once again be held on Praia Grande, which last year saw around 200 people come together to brave the waters. The move to the new location of Praia Grande last year from Praia do Pintadinho, where the event had taken place for 15 years, was the result of an online public consultation carried out by the parish council in 2023, ensuring accessibility and parking for bathers and curious onlookers, as well as greater safety on the beach and in the water. If you’d like to participate, sign up by 27 December at the Ferragudo Parish Council.