The “Don’t push us against the wall” demonstration, signed by more than 1,600 people and a hundred civic organisations, aims to be “one of the biggest demonstrations” against racism, which the organisation hopes will have the participation of “thousands of people”, the spokesperson for the association Solidariedade Imigrante, Anabela Rodrigues, told Lusa.

In the protest, scheduled for3 pm on Saturday, demonstrators will march between Alameda and Martim Moniz “against the idea of ​​using the powers of the State itself to reinforce insecurity and to blame immigrants for everything that happens in the country”, said Anabela Rodrigues.

Without contesting the carrying out of investigations and arrests, the spokesperson specified that the organisations contest the carrying out of “these enormous operations, in which the idea is to bring the press behind them to once again say ‘this is happening because of this relationship of immigrants’ versus criminality'”.

The operation on Rua do Benformoso reflects a use “of the powers of the State to emphasise a political idea and not exactly a real situation”, to which the protesters want to say “enough” to end “this xenophobia and racism that is manifested”, added the member of the Teatro dos Oprimidos group.

Convinced that the operation in Martin Moniz was the visible face of what “frequently happens in other areas of the city, especially poor and immigrant areas”, Anabela Rodrigues criticises the disproportionality of these “major operations” whose effectiveness is “one or two arrests” considers it “ridiculous”.

“The population and society, in general, do not agree with this type of intervention, they do not agree with this type of argument of continuing to massacre people who are workers, and if there are, in fact, some situations of irregularities, they must be investigated, but there in Benformoso, as in Avenida de Roma or in Restelo or in any other area, in an equal and proportional way”, she said.

The protest includes anti-racist, immigrant and neighborhood support organizations, including 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 Collective, Beahmanbaria Community of Portugal, Anjos Community Kitchen, Renew Mouraria and Sirigaita.

The call for the demonstration was signed by the Left Bloc, Portuguese Communist Youth, Socialist and Free Youth.

The appeal argues that all people living and working in Portugal must be treated with dignity and that this police action was not an isolated case.

In addition to the march, a complaint was delivered to the ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, about the police performance in that operation, whose legitimacy and proportionality the organizations want to be investigated.

The police operation on December 19, in Martim Moniz, resulted in the arrest of two people and the seizure of almost 4 thousand euros in cash, batons, documents, a bladed weapon, a cell phone and a hundred counterfeit items.

The huge police presence in the area, where many immigrants live and work, led to the circulation of images on social media in which dozens of people are seen leaning against the wall, with their hands up, to be searched by the police.