Accident on the Guadiana River: freedom needs to be protected.

The early morning hours on the Guadiana River ended in tragedy. A National Republican Guard patrol boat was rammed by a high-speed vessel suspected of being linked to drug trafficking. One soldier lost his life, and three were injured. The news is harsh, but what it symbolizes is even more worrying: a country that continues to react after tragedies, instead of preventing them. Liberalism is not the opposite of security. The State should be lean, yes, but never absent. Individual freedom is a fundamental right, but it depends on a public structure capable of protecting those who obey the law and confronting those who disregard it. What happened in the Guadiana is a portrait of a slow, bureaucratic, and technologically underpowered State trying to stop fast, well-funded, and transnational criminal networks.

When crime runs faster than the state. It is unacceptable that GNR officers face high-powered boats with unequal resources and reduced teams. The Guadiana River has long been a vibrant border, both economically, socially, and criminally. Everyone knows it. Everyone says it. But few act on it. Institutional reactions, statements, condolences, promises of investigation, are no longer enough. The country needs practical and courageous reforms that combine efficiency, intelligence, and responsibility. -Real reinforcement of river and maritime surveillance, with fast boats, night vision and tactical drones; - Ongoing cooperation with Spain, including joint patrols and immediate sharing of operational data; -Legal review of trafficking crimes involving vessels, adapting the Penal Code to the technological and cross-border reality of organized crime; -Adequate training and protection for security forces, who risk their lives to uphold the law;

Preventive planning is key, because waiting for crime to happen is the opposite of governing.

Freedom is not anarchy! A liberal state should be efficient, not permissive. Defending freedom is not about turning a blind eye to crime; it's about ensuring that those who break the law pay the price they deserve. A truly minimal state is one that does what is essential, and does it well. Those who confuse "individual freedom" with the absence of rules have not understood the basic principle of liberalism: freedom ends where the risk imposed on others begins.

Drug trafficking, smuggling, and evading justice are direct attacks on the freedom of us all, and the State has a constitutional duty to act.

An example that cannot be repeated… A member of the Republic's military died in the line of duty. This sacrifice cannot be just another tragic episode. It must be a clear sign that Portugal needs to rethink its security strategy, its borders, and the resources it places in the hands of those who protect it. Lamenting is not enough.

We need to reform, act, and protect, with less bureaucracy, more intelligence, and a true sense of state. Freedom, true freedom, is not won through speeches. It is won through responsibility, courage, and justice. All of this has a legal and contextual basis. Article 27 of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic enshrines the right to liberty and security as fundamental values, imposing on the State the duty of active and effective protection. The Penal Code, in its articles 21, 22 and 24, defines co-authorship and criminal liability for intentional conduct such as trafficking and resisting authority.

The Organic Law of the GNR (Law No. 15/94) and Article 271 of the Constitution stipulate that state agents, in the exercise of their duties, enjoy special protection and adequate means for the mission of defending democratic legality. Where are they?

These rules are not mere legal embellishments; they are constitutional commitments that the State must fulfill. Because freedom cannot survive without order. And order cannot exist without political courage. Freedom demands responsibility. And responsibility demands action.