Lisbon
sees second night of riots after police shot dead a man during an arrest
Greater
Lisbon hit by strong disturbances overnight
By Diana
Rosa Rodrigues
Published on
23/10/2024 - 17:33 GMT+2•Updated 17:34
This article
was originally published in Portuguese
Rioting in
several districts around the city erupted when a Portuguese police officer shot
and killed a Cape Verdean man.
Portugal's
capital experienced a second night of riots into the early hours of Wednesday
morning, triggered by the death of Odair Moniz, a Cape Verdean man who was shot
and killed by a police officer late on Sunday night.
Unrest
returned to areas including Amadora near Lisbon, with bins and even buses set
on fire. "Today, regrettably, we once again witnessed situations of
disorder within the Zambujal neighbourhood ... with the theft of a Carris bus
that was subsequently set on fire," Portugal's police force (PSP) said in
a statement.
Explaining
that it had sent additional police to the area, the PSP added that it had made
an arrest "for possession of combustible material, indicated it would be
used to start a fire". Representatives from the PSP described the unrest
as a "serious episode of urban violence".
In addition
to increased policing Zambujal, the force also sent reinforcements to various
locations nearby, including so-called "Sensitive Urban Zones".
In the early
hours of the morning, scenes escalated with an attempt to set fire to a petrol
station in Amadora. The incident did not lead to an explosion.
During the
night, riots were also reported in the municipality of Oeiras, where shots were
fired and another bus was set on fire, as well as a smaller vehicle and several
bins.
In Sintra, a
projectile was thrown at the police station in Casal de Cambra without causing
any damage. In nearby Damaia there were disturbances in several streets.
Rioters threw firecrackers and stones onto the public highway and set alight
several bins.
In another
statement, the PSP said that it "repudiates and will not tolerate acts of
disorder and destruction practised by criminal groups intent on defying the
authority of the state and disturbing the security of the community".
Three
arrested and four injured
According to
the latest police reports, three people have been arrested for the disturbance.
Two police officers were injured in the municipalities of Amadora and Oeiras
"as a result of stone-throwing, both of whom required hospital treatment
and one of whom went on sick leave".
Two
passengers on one of the buses that was set on fire were stabbed,
"allegedly by the individuals who stole and set fire to the vehicle",
the PSP said. They are both said to be in a stable condition.
Speaking to
journalists, the Minister of Internal Affairs described the events as
"unacceptable disturbances" that prevent "communities going
about their normal lives". Margarida Blasco added that the Security
Information Service had held and emergency meeting in response to the unrest,
and was in "permanent contact" with security forces, especially the
PSP.
The minister
confirmed that three people had been arrested following the riots and assured
the public that the government " will do everything we can to bring all
those who took part in these riots to justice."
In a
statement, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) said that the minister had
ordered an enquiry "as a matter of urgency" to "ascertain the
circumstances in which the events involving Public Security Police officers
during a police operation took place".
The death of
Odair Moniz
The PSP
explained that police officers had "intercepted an individual who had been
fleeing from the police" in the Alto neighbourhood of Cova da Moura
shortly before 6 am on Monday morning.
The police
said that when the officers "approached the suspect, he resisted arrest
and tried to assault them with a weapon", adding that "one of the
police officers, having exhausted other means and efforts", used a firearm
and shot the suspect, "in circumstances to be investigated in a criminal
and disciplinary enquiry".
The PSP also
said that "the suspect was promptly assisted at the scene and transported
to São Francisco Xavier Hospital," but ended up dying.
This
Wednesday, in a new communication, the PSP said it "regretted the
death," of Moniz, emphasising that it "is being investigated by the
judicial authorities".
The police
also reiterated "a word of solidarity to our two police officers involved
in the incident, as well as to all the police officers involved in restoring
and maintaining public order in the municipality of Amadora".
The Polícia
Judiciária, Portugal's national criminal investigation police agency, has since
announced that it has put the officer who shot the Moniz under investigation.
'Security
and public order are democratic values'
Portugal's
President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, also commented on the episodes of violence
in the Lisbon metropolitan area. In a note published on the presidency's
website, Rebelo de Sousa announced that he has been "closely monitoring
the events of the last 48 hours, and was in contact with the government and the
mayors of Amadora and Oeiras".
In the note,
the president highlighted three points that he "considers essential,"
emphasising that "security and public order are democratic values whose
preservation must be guaranteed, particularly through the role of the security
forces".
The
president continued by saying "this guarantee must respect the principles
of the democratic rule of law, including the rights, freedoms and guarantees of
citizens, as well as enforcing their duties".
Rebelo de
Sousa concluded that Portuguese society, "despite the social, economic and
cultural problems and inequalities that still plague it, is a generally
peaceful society, and wants to remain so, without instability or, much less,
violence".
On Tuesday,
dozens of people gathered outside the flat where Moniz lived in the Zambujal
neighbourhood of Amadora to pay tribute. The 43-year-old owned and ran a local
café and was known to everyone in the neighbourhood by the nickname
"Dá".
The vigil
and protest was called by an association of local residents. "People were
incredulous," Gilberto Pinto, president of the neighbourhood residents'
association called, told Portugal's Lusa news agency.
Speaking to
the media, residents emphasised Odair's personality and refused to believe the
PSP's version of events surrounding Moniz's death.
Gilberto
Pinto warned authorities that local anger could spread. "This will
snowball, a feeling of injustice has taken hold."
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