The situation in the suburbs of Lisbon was calmer overnight amid an increased police presence, but protests planned for tomorrow could lead to further clashes after three evenings of burning cars and buses after police shot dead a Portuguese man born on the island of Cape Verde, Reuters reported.
Small groups of hooded assailants threw stones at a bus and set trash cans on fire in several multicultural neighborhoods on the outskirts, police said, but added that overall violence had dropped significantly. A human rights group and a far-right party called protests on Saturday in central Lisbon. The relatively small size of the historic center means that the two groups may clash.
Police have been on the prowl in the suburbs since riots erupted Monday over the killing of 43-year-old chef Odair Moniz in the Amadora neighborhood.
After visiting some of the suburbs last night, Police Chief Luis Carrillo told reporters that the situation was "finally calmer" and thanked the officers for their "excellent job".
The human rights group "Vida Justa" called for a peaceful protest against police violence and warned of possible provocations by far-right elements. According to her, they spread fake online messages calling for violence by impersonating other people.
The far-right anti-immigrant party is a JOKE! ("Enough!") also called a rally, also in central Lisbon, but in support of the police. Senior party lawmaker Pedro Pinto told the media that "if the security forces shot more to kill, there would be more order in the country.
According to the Global Peace Index, Portugal is the 7th most peaceful country in the world. However, the latest national security report states that last year, violent crime increased by 5.6% compared to 2022 to 14,022 cases, with more than a third of them in the area of Lisbon.
The anti-racism group "Es O Es Rasijmo" stated that "the deaths of black men at the hands of police officers raise the greatest doubts and concerns about the true motives" for actions like shooting Moniz. According to the police statement, the chef fled and crashed a car after seeing a police car, then tried to attack the approaching officers with a knife before one of the officers opened fire.
Several Portuguese media cited police sources as saying it was later determined there was no knife. The prosecutor's office said a man, whose name was not released, was being investigated as a murder suspect, without giving further details.
Cape Verde's ambassador to Portugal, Eurico Correa Monteiro, sent a letter to leaders of the local community linked to the West African island nation, expressing regret over the death at the hands of police of Moniz, "who is believed to have been compliant the laws and a peaceful working man".
In his letter, he called on the immigrant community to reject the violence seen in recent days. This "feeds ideologies that present immigrants as marginals and criminals, enemies of the natives of the receiving countries and the causes of almost every evil," the ambassador stressed.
Yesterday, the police deployed their forces and declared that they would show "zero tolerance" to riots, the work of criminal groups. 16 people have been detained since Tuesday. Four buses and 16 cars were set on fire, and seven people were injured.