Chega party leader André Ventura led a protest at the Belém Palace today as Brazilian President Lula da Silva arrived for an official meeting with the President of the Republic. As the Brazilian head of state approached the residence, Ventura and his supporters chanted slogans, including “Lula, ladrão, o teu lugar é na prisão” (Lula, thief, your place is in prison).
During the demonstration, Ventura, who held a pair of handcuffs, addressed his supporters: “I wanted to tell you that I was just informed that Lula da Silva is already on his way here to the Belém Palace, so we will have to make ourselves heard a lot so that he knows, above all so that he feels and understands that these people who are here do not want him in Portugal, do not want him in Brazil.”
The protest, which took place on the opposite side of the road from the Palace, saw Chega supporters confronting a counter-protest that had gathered nearby. Supporters of the Brazilian President responded to the Chega slogans by chanting “Lula, guerreiro do povo brasileiro” (Lula, warrior of the Brazilian people).
In his address to the crowd, Ventura criticized the official reception, questioning why Lula was the first foreign head of state to be received by President António José Seguro at Belém, labeling the Brazilian President a “thief and a corrupt person.”
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“What signal does this give to Portugal? What signal does this give to Brazil? What signal does this give to the world that speaks Portuguese? It gives a terrible signal,” Ventura stated.
The Chega leader further justified the protest by emphasizing his party’s stance against corruption, alleging that Lula has “ostensibly stolen from the country, first and foremost, stolen from the Brazilians, stolen from the Portuguese, and made corruption a kind of constant practice.” Ventura also drew comparisons between the Brazilian leader and former Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates, holding a poster featuring both men.
The demonstration concluded around 3:40 PM, while Lula da Silva was still in his meeting inside the Palace. This incident follows previous confrontations involving Chega and the Brazilian President; during Lula’s address to the Portuguese Parliament in the previous year, Chega deputies stood up, banged on their desks, and displayed placards with similar anti-corruption messages.
