Friday Briefing: Lisbon on knife edge
Good morning and welcome to PORTUGAL DECODED. The Portuguese capital has been rocked by violent protests after police shot a black man dead on Monday morning. What's going on?
TALK OF THE TOWN
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POLITICS
The Socialist Party’s political committee voted unanimously to abstain from the vote on the 2025 draft budget in Parliament, confirming leader’s Pedro Nuno Santos decision to make it viable and avoid a political crisis (More).
PM Luís Montenegro announced a new seven-measure action plan for the Government, covering water supply, security, domestic violence, urban regeneration, education, health and immigration (More).
SOCIETY
PM Montenegro’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) has proposed legislative changes to digital taxi platform’s rules, suggesting that users should be able to pick drivers who speak Portuguese (More).
The price of Lisbon’s luxury properties rose more than anywhere else in the world, according to British multinational Savills. New data also showed that house prices in Lisbon are 151% higher than in the rest of the country (More).
ECONOMICS
The IMF on Tuesday revised Portugal’s economic growth upward to 1.7% this year, and cut the inflation rate to 2.2%. Portugal also recorded the fourth largest surplus in the EU in the second quarter of 2024, Eurostat revealed (More).
Spanish energy giant Repsol decided to freeze major green hydrogen projects in Spain and move some plans to Portugal, adding €15 million on top of the €657 million investments already planned in Sines (More).
CULTURE AND SPORTS
One of Portugal’s most beloved singers, Marco Paulo, died this Thursday at the age of 79, following a long battle with cancer. Throughout his career, he launched more than 70 records, won 140 awards and sold over five million copies (More).
Laura Carreira’s On Falling won the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition at the London Film Festival. She had earlier won the best director award at the San Sebastian Film Festival (More).
DECODER
What led to the current unrest in Lisbon?
Around 5.30am on Monday, two police officers saw Odair Moniz, a 43-year-old Cape Verdean cook and a father of three, driving over a continuous centre line. They then switched on the car’s lights and followed him with the intention of pulling him over. However, Odair fled into the Cova da Moura neighbourhood, where he drove dangerously, ramming into several parked cars, only stopping when he crashed. According to the PSP’s version, Odair resisted the arrest and went on to assault them (read more on this below). Somewhere in this confrontation, one of the officers fired four shots, two of which hit and killed Odair. Watch a video of the moment that followed the shooting here but please note that viewer discretion is advised.
What happened afterward?
Following his death, tensions escalated, leading to riots in Bairro do Zambujal, where Odair lived. Footage shared on social media showed burning trash containers, blocked streets, and objects being thrown at police. The protests quickly spread to other areas in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) with reports of ongoing clashes between residents and police, buses and other vehicles set on fire, shots and explosions. Police reported several arrests and more than a hundred incidents in and around Lisbon, with two officers injured and two other people stabbed without serious wounds. In response, police units, including special operations forces and secret services, were deployed to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.
Which areas have been affected by the violence so far?
Until Thursday afternoon, the violence has affected nine municipalities in the AML on both sides of the Tagus river: Lisbon, Amadora, Almada, Oeiras, Sintra, Loures, Cascais, Barreiro and Seixal. On Thursday, the main affected areas include Portela de Carnaxide (1-3, 6, 13, 15, 25), Bairro do Zambujal (14), Cova da Moura (4 and 12), Damaia (5, 10 and 11), Alcântara (7), Campo de Ourique (17), Monte da Caparica and Quinta da Princesa (9), Bairro do Rego (24), Campolide (19), Bairro Padre Cruz (23), Queluz (21), Rio de Mouro (8, 18, 22), Lumiar (20) and Catujal, Loures (26).
How did Portuguese society react to the violence?
The events caused shock but also intense debates. Experts pointed out that there is always an atmosphere “of great tension” in these peripheral and segregated areas, where dwellers, especially the young, have little access to rights and public policies. These disadvantaged and marginalized neighborhoods are officially designated as “Zonas Urbanas Sensíveis” (Sensitive Urban Zones), where police have reinforced powers to deal with public safety and crime, including: increased patrols and presence, more leeway to conduct stop-and-search operations, curfews and control measures, a higher degree of force, among others. This has led to criticism and allegations of racial profiling, excessive use of force, and police brutality, particularly against racial minorities and migrants who predominantly inhabit these zones. According to data released this week, in the last eight years, at least 13 people have died at the hands of security forces. On the other hand, others - mainly, but not just from far-right Chega - said that the situation calls for harsher police measures. Chega’s leader, André Ventura, said that the Government and the PM should publicly thank the PSP officer who killed Odair. On Wednesday, during a TV debate, the leader of Chega’s parliamentary group, Pedro Pinto, said that if the security forces “shot more often to kill, the country would be more orderly”.
What did the President and the Government say about it?
On Wednesday, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa appealed for the restoration of law and order, insisting that Portuguese “society, despite the social, economic and cultural problems and inequalities that still afflict it, is a generally peaceful society and wants to remain so.” PM Luís Montenegro said that the Government is mobilising “all resources” to contain the incidents and argued that “we cannot tolerate violence in any way”. The Minister of Home Affairs, Margarida Blasco, has ordered the General Inspectorate of Home Affairs to open an enquiry “as a matter of urgency”.
What remains to be clarified?
It remains to be understood why Odair reacted so suspiciously when he saw the police in Amadora. On Thursday, the officer who shot Odair confirmed that, contrary to the PSP’s initial press note on Monday, he wasn’t threatened with a knife. There are also questions about the PSP’s actions in the aftermath of Odair’s death events. According to residents, on Tuesday night, the police broke down the door of Odair’s house. The PSP denies this version, saying that it had been called to an incident in another house, but intervened whey they saw what seemed to be a fire. Despite the contradictory versions, the family will press forward with charges.
What’s next?
It is recommended that citizens remain calm but alert in the coming days. On Thursday, the movement “Vida Justa” (Fair Life) announced a protest on Saturday in Lisbon’s Marquês de Pombal to demand justice for Odair Moniz. A few hours later, the President of Chega, André Ventura, announced another protest in defense of the police, also scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, in Lisbon. The protest organized by Chega will begin at Praça do Município and end in front of National Assembly, the same location where the other protest will also end. Meanwhile, the police officer who shot Odair was charged with simple homicide, a crime punishable by up to 16 years in prison.
TIPS OF THE WEEK
Lisbon
MAC/CCB 1st Anniversary
To mark its first anniversary, the MAC/CCB will host a special programme on the weekend of October 26-27. With free entry and extended opening hours, the public can visit four new temporary exhibitions and enjoy the Xavier Le Roy´s exhibition, which will be held on the 26 October, from 1 pm onwards. Also on the 26 October, but at 5 pm, don’t miss the launch of two museum’s new publications. From 9 pm onwards, a celebration party will be held with a DJ set. During all the weekend the museum will also have available guided tours and workshops for adults and families. Find out more about this programme here.
Matosinhos
Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue is an innovative event that will take place until October 26 at the Matosinhos Municipal Market, with extensions to the fish harbor, the canning factory and several restaurants (Fava Tonka, Casa de Chá da Boa Nova and Bistrô by Vila Foz). The festival, which aims to discuss the future of ocean-based food, includes talks with researchers and chefs, workshops and free visits. It ends with a Big Fish Festival in Rua Heróis de França on Saturday (12.30pm - 6.30pm), centered around sardines. More information here.
Lamego
Olive Harvest Experience
Until November 8, Quinta da Pacheca, in Cambres, Lamego, is offering an immerse experience in the olive groves of the Douro estate, allowing participants to learn about olive oil, a key ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine and one that is of significant economic importance to the Portuguese economy. The programme (€85/person) starts at 10.30 a.m. with cornbread and cured olives before heading out to the field with the necessary equipment for the harvest. An olive oil tasting and a four-course lunch completes the programme. More information here.
Portalegre
International Hot Air Ballon Festival
Considered “one of the largest and most important festivals in Europe”, the festival returns on November 7-13, bringing together 30 teams from Portugal, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. The festival passes through Monforte (November 7), followed by Fronteira (8), Ponte de Sor (9-10), Alter do Chão (12) and the Abreu Callado Foundation in Avis (13). On November 9, at 7:45 pm, there will be a night show in Ponte de Sor, in which the “flames from the hot air balloon burners are released to the rhythm of the music”. Hot air balloon flights will take place twice a day, at 07:00 or 07:30 and at 14:00 or 14:30, whenever weather conditions allow. Access to the flights is subject to the purchase of a solidarity wristband (€75-€90 per wristband) that will be donated to the Volunteer Fire Brigade of the localities participating in the event. Minors are not allowed to register and will not be able to fly with a solidarity wristband. More information here.