Did a left-wing politician ask for Portugal’s police to be disbanded?

Former Portuguese MEP Paulo Portas has claimed that a member of the left-wing populist Left Bloc party, Fabian Figueiredo, called for an end to Portugal’s police force.

This viral TV comment came after Figueiredo called for accountability following the police shooting of a Cape Verde-born Portuguese resident, triggering a wave of unrest around Lisbon.

“Today, I heard a member of the Left Bloc saying ‘We have to rethink the continuity of the PSP’ (Portugal’s police force),” Portas, a member of the conservative People’s Party, said. “So what if I’m robbed or assaulted? Who do I call? Batman?”

While the suspect is being investigated for homicide, there have been contradictory statements between the police force and the officer who opened fire.

Figueiredo was one of many who reacted to this incident.

What is behind this exchange?

A Cape Verdean 43-year-old chef, Odair Moniz, was shot and killed in Lisbon by a police officer on 21 October.

Portuguese authorities said police officers had “intercepted an individual who had been fleeing from the police” in the neighbourhood of Cova da Moura on the outskirts of Lisbon shortly before 6 am local time (7 am CET).

The police said that when the officers “approached the suspect, he resisted arrest and tried to assault them with a weapon”, adding that “one of the police officers, having exhausted other means and efforts”, used a firearm and shot the suspect.

However, the officer who opened fire later told investigators that there was no blade involved, and many witnesses have also refuted the police’s statement.

The Polícia Judiciária, Portugal’s national criminal investigation police agency, has since announced that it has put the officer who shot Moniz under investigation.

This incident led to more than 140 episodes of public disturbances in Lisbon, where 23 people were arrested and seven were injured, according to the Portuguese police.

What has the Left Bloc politician said?

Figueiredo did not vow to scrap Portugal’s police force. Instead, he called on the government to reflect on the continuity of the police force’s management if it is proven that the man didn’t carry a blade.  

“If it is proven in court that the statement by the national directorate of the PSP contains serious lies, I believe that this must merit a thorough reflection by the government and the national directorate of the PSP on the continuity of the national directorate of the PSP,” Figueiredo said.

The clash between Figueiredo and Portas has led to the latter apologising for misinterpreting Figueiredo’s words.

In his apology letter, Portas said it was an “unintentional mistake” and he was “wrong”.

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The right-wing politician explained he was misled by news reports and did not have enough time to read the full story before going live.