Porta a Porta rejects statements by Loures mayor

The Porta a Porta movement condemned this Thursday the statements made by the Mayor of Loures regarding the demolition of illegal buildings in the Talude Militar neighborhood, accusing Ricardo Leão of making videos without actually going to the site.

Loures City Council President Ricardo Leão said Wednesday in a video posted on social media that he will not back down on the demolitions , that he will continue to support those affected, and accused public figures and political movements of taking advantage of poverty and fragility.

Ricardo Leão also said that this is a complex issue and cannot be tackled by Loures City Council alone, and clarified that before the intervention in the Talude area on Monday, "all people were informed and personally approached by council services, before the operation, during the operation, and after the operation."

This Thursday, in response to the statements made by the Socialist Party mayor, the Porta a Porta – Casa para Todos Movement, which fights for the right to housing in Portugal, accused Ricardo Leão of making videos for “the dominant narrative, without going into the field”.

" Ricardo Leão says he promoted the demolitions to ensure the safety, health, and dignity of the people . Ricardo Leão has not yet been to the site to see that he achieved exactly the opposite: more insecurity for those people and the entire community, more unhealthiness and destruction, and he destroyed the dignity of the people by exposing them all to this situation," the movement emphasizes.

For Porta a Porta, Ricardo Leão “is not, as described, serious and the decision-making capacity he reveals resembles the typical decision-making of tyrannical and inhumane regimes”.

The movement also accuses the mayor of lying when he said he guaranteed support before, during and after the demolitions.

“Posting a Notice at 6:00 p.m. on a Friday and demolishing it at 9:00 a.m. the following Monday is not supporting anyone beforehand; quite the opposite, it is acting with special reprehensibility, bad faith, and malicious and cowardly intent,” the movement states.

According to Porta a Porta, during the operation no social support technician was present on the ground with any solution.

"In fact, the municipality's first social service technicians only arrived on the ground, without providing effective solutions, 48 hours after the demolitions. Even after the demolitions, effective solutions have yet to emerge. The clear proof of this is that people continue to make their living amidst the rubble created by Ricardo Leão and the Socialist Party, who are now in charge of the Loures City Council," they emphasized.

According to the movement, the Mayor of Loures promised to continue on this path and this “is unacceptable”.

"Ricardo Leão caused a tragedy. In people's lives. In the democratic rule of law. In human dignity, in social justice," the movement concluded.

Loures City Council began on Monday an operation to demolish 64 precarious homes on Talude Militar, where 161 people live, including children and the elderly.

On that day, 51 substandard homes were demolished, with four more added on Tuesday. The operation was suspended after the Lisbon Administrative Court granted a precautionary measure.

The Attorney General's Office (PGR) is investigating this case.