After the police action in Rua do Benformoso, the demonstration “Não Nos Encostem à Parede” took place last Saturday on Avenida Almirante Reis. Thousands of people united against racism and xenophobia and demanded dignity and equality for all those who live and work in Portugal.
The photos are by Beni (@theleftsideleft), courtesy of Map Newspaper.
“What happened in Rua do Benformoso to hundreds of immigrants, with people pinned against the wall by the police, made it obvious that we don't need to let this happen again. We know that what became visible there was not an isolated act, it's something that happens regularly in other peripheries of Lisbon and the country.”
A he police intervention of December 19 on Rua do Benformoso, between Intendente and Martim Moniz, generated a huge national debate, and in particular in the media, about the limits of police action and the way Portugal treats the immigrants it so desperately needs.
The image of hundreds of people, immigrants and innocents, leaning against the wall, ran through the news and social networks; and voices of condemnation of this action, with the signature of Luís Montenegro's government, The crowd immediately rose to their feet. The Prime Minister spoke of perceptions of insecurity, but the fact that nothing was found in this intervention - apart from a Portuguese person's melee weapon - made the whole apparatus strange and excessive.
What is certain is that people leaning against the wall is a common practice of the police, in interventions characterized by raids that take place in the suburbs.
Last Saturday, January 11th, thousands of people took to the streets, walking along Avenida Almirante Reis, between Alameda and Martim Moniz. The demonstration Don't push us to the wall was the result of a public appeal that brought together more than 1600 individuals and 100 organizations from various social and political backgrounds, and became a common cry against racism and xenophobia, practices that have become more common in Portuguese society with the rise of the extreme right.
The march brought together left-wing parties, from the PS to the PCP, including the BE and Livre, as well as movements such as Solidariedade Imigrante, SOS Racismo and Vida Justa, associations such as Casa do Brasil de Lisboa and Moinho da Juventude, and local organizations from Mouraria and Anjos, such as Bangladesh Coletivo, Beahmanbaria Community of Portugal, Cozinha Comunitária dos Anjos, Renovar a Mouraria and Sirigaita.
