Rare night of violence in Portugal : burnt cars, rubbed bullets and policemen attacked with molotov cocktails
Damaged cars, burned garbage cans and a team of PSP attacked with Molotov cocktails that replicate with rubber bullets : it is the night just passed Portugal, reputed yet quiet. The Portuguese police do not link these disorders to the events that took place last week in Seixal and created controversy. Nor does it relate to the unrest that took place at Avenida da Liberdade in central Lisbon on Monday. While the movement of the Yellow Vests does not really take in Portugal, the suburbs seem to wake up after the muscled arrest of a woman in Seixal, Bairro da Jamaica. Without talking about riots, the police molotov attacks are quite rare in a country that is known to be rather peaceful and calm. Lisbob, expats assistant in Portugal, tells you more about the troubles that are currently taking place in some Portuguese cities.
Portugal is experiencing a crisis of violence and the police are attacked by Molotov cocktails - Illustration image
Night of violence. PSP team attacked with Molotov cocktails
Several people gathered at dawn on Tuesday to commit acts of violence in the districts of Lisbon and Setúbal. These acts of vandalism began even before 10 pm Monday night, when four vehicles were burned in Odivelas and Póvoa de Santo Adrião (Municipality of Odivelas) using Molotov cocktails. Then 11 garbage cans were burned in the neighborhood of Bairro Nova Cidade whose flames ended up damaging five parked vehicles.
An 18-year-old man was arrested and three others identified.
PSP (Portuguese Police) also said in a statement released on Tuesday that there were also acts of violence in Setúbal. In fact, a group of individuals, yet to be identified, fired three Molotov cocktails against the PSP squadron in the Bela Vista neighborhood, causing damage to the building and a civilian car parked nearby. Despite the fear of the police, there is no sign of casualties and the police have ensured that "the security climate is restored in the areas in question, and strengthened its security in the neighborhoods. , in order to guarantee tranquility to all residents ".
Police face violent protests
These acts of vandalism occurred after a demonstration on the Avenida da Liberdade in downtown Lisbon, organized by the residents of the Jamaica district in Seixal, did not end peacefully. Although PSP assures that "nothing indicates" that the events of this Tuesday are related to the clashes of yesterday, the truth is that they occurred a few hours after the agents of the authority had fired rubber bullets (Flashball) in response to the throwing of stones they were targeted.
A spokesman for the Lisbon Metropolitan Command of the PSP, Tiago Garcia, explained that the police had tried to lead the group of protesters to the edges of the road, because they blocked the traffic, but they were "received with pavers and firecrackers ". The demonstration resulted in the arrest of four people and material damage with several damaged vehicles, as well as PSP officers injured by stones thrown. All this inclined Lisbon center.
The demonstration yesterday afternoon on one of the main arteries of the Portuguese capital was a demonstration of the inhabitants of the Jamaican district of Seixal, in the district of Setubal, against alleged police violence on Sunday morning and whose video runs on social networks.