Demonstrators in Lisbon March to Commemorate Man Shot by Police

(Bloomberg) -- Demonstrators gathered for a march in central Lisbon on Saturday to commemorate a man shot by police earlier in the week, a death that led to acts of violence and focused attention on the poorer suburbs of the Portuguese capital.

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The demonstration was organized by the Vida Justa association and other groups, and is taking place on the Avenida da Liberdade in downtown Lisbon.

The government on Thursday boosted the police presence in the capital’s suburbs after buses and garbage containers were set on fire following the death on Monday of Odair Moniz, a citizen of Cape Verde. Police said Moniz was shot after resisting arrest, and later died in hospital.

Judicial authorities are investigating the killing, which took place in the Cova da Moura neighborhood.

While the center of Lisbon and nearby coastal areas have benefited from a property boom, that’s in stark contrast with some of the city’s suburbs. Portugal has for decades drawn generations of immigrants from its former colonies in Africa, with many settling in neighborhoods with cheaper housing surrounding the capital.

Since 2018, the foreign population in Portugal has more than doubled and is now at a record one million people – equivalent to a tenth of the total population. Brazilians make up the biggest group of foreign residents, followed by nationals of Angola, Cape Verde and the UK, according to Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, or AIMA.

In a general election in March, Portuguese far-right party Chega grabbed much of the spotlight after it quadrupled the number of seats it holds in parliament, cementing its position as the country’s third-biggest political force. Chega, which has a tough anti-immigrant stance, called for a separate demonstration on Saturday in support of the police.

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