The president of Chega defended this Saturday a “consensus on the right” to change immigration policy and introduce, for example, care when entering citizens from areas of “Islamic extremism”, considering that “common sense” does not mean “doors completely open “.
André Ventura visited some streets in the Mouraria neighborhood this Saturday, including the one where the house where two immigrants died in an overcrowded accommodation is located, and took “selfies” with the immigrants who were asked to do so – although some, later questioned by journalists , not knowing who it was – as he heard insults and accusations of “fascist” in Portuguese.
In the end, speaking to journalists, the leader of Chega explained that the visit was aimed at “seeing up close an area of the city where immigration is predominant” and the problems both related to housing and the entry of foreign citizens. .
Questioned about the recent appeals by the President of the Republic to common sense on this topic, André Ventura said he agreed because it was “a socially explosive matter”. “But, at the same time, the President of the Republic is aware that the right has to clarify once and for all its position on immigration. It cannot be just to look good in the picture or be politically correct”, he said.
Therefore, he reiterated the appeal to the PSD – considering that the IL “is not from the right” – for this consensus in the immigration policy that “Portugal must be a country that welcomes immigrants”, but stressing, in opposition to the left, that such does not mean “completely open doors and entrances anyway”.
“The registration of those coming to Portugal, those with a work contract – excluding situations of political asylum or those fleeing wars like the one in Ukraine or others, must be verified. In terms of economic migrants, there must be a consensus on the right growing that it is a matter of common sense that no one can enter anyway”, he said.
André Ventura recovered the expression recently used by the president of the PSD, Luís Montenegro – that Portugal should “search the world for communities that can interact better with us” -, saying to risk “going a little further”.
“We have to be especially careful with some areas of the world where very serious problems could arise in the coming years”, he said, saying he was referring to “areas where there is a very strong Islamic extremism presence” and referring that this situation is already causing “very serious problems in countries like France and Germany”.
300 thousand immigrants
Ventura added that the uncontrolled entry of citizens from countries like Pakistan or Afghanistan could cause “security problems” for Portugal in the future, noting that this is supported by reports from international information agencies.
Minutes earlier, during a brief walk through some streets in Mouraria – with some police officers following the party initiative from a distance – the leader of Chega was greeted and returned the waves and greetings of several immigrants and acceded to all requests to take pictures with them .
Asked why he didn’t tell them, eye to eye, that they weren’t welcome in Portugal, Ventura replied that he doesn’t know the particular situation of each one.
“Some will have come for the good to work, but anyone who has been here and is in an illegal situation, has come to obtain subsidies or commit crimes are not welcome, even if they have greeted me, that is my message”, he said.
As for the Government’s intention to regularize around 300,000 immigrants by the end of March, the leader of Chega said it was necessary to analyze case by case, supporting this process for “people who have their employment contract and have their situation regularized by virtue of bureaucratic delays, they already live here and are part of the community”.
“Whoever is illegally and insists illegally, must be expelled from Portuguese territory”, he added.
At the end of the long statements to the media, with many immigrant citizens watching and filming, Ventura returned to taking pictures and “selfies” and even promised some, in English: “Next summer, I’m going to Bangladesh”.
Most of the immigrants who asked Ventura to take pictures with them said they were from this country, except for two who, when asked by the leader of Chega if they came from Balngladesh, answered that they were Canadian and asked who he was.
Journalists later explained that he was the leader of the biggest far-right party in Portugal, with one of them replying: “Oh, that’s not so good.”
https://www.publico.pt/2023/02/09/politica/noticia/montenegro-moedas-divergem-exigencia-contrato-trabalho-imigrantes-2038249