Marcelo said that “Portugal is no longer for white Portuguese, Silvas and Antónios”?
A photograph taken at the Infante D. Henrique Nautical School, in Paço de Arcos, circulates on social networks since the municipal updates of September 26th. Why? The indicative sheet of the voting section number 39 contains two foreign names, apparently of Arab origin.
In the form of an implicit criticism, the author of the publication highlights an alleged quote by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who stated that “Portugal is no longer white Portuguese, Silvas and Antónios“
Is the quote true or apocryphal?
From Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to Pedro Pablo Pichardo, Olympic champion, and from Evalina Dias, president of Djass – Associação de Afrodescentes, to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. This is a chronological order of events which culminated in the aforementioned sentence.
Speaking at the Belém Palace on August 5, still in the aftermath of the gold medal in the triple jump won by Pedro Pablo Pichardo, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa called for the need to put aside xenophobia, racism and other “ghosts of discrimination ethnic racial “. The President of the Republic made a point of mentioning, at the time, that “of the four medals, three are of direct or indirect African origin: a Portuguese Afro-Cuban, a Portuguese Angolan, another Portuguese Sao Tome “, which is a sign that” Portugal is great when it achieves the effective integration “of those who immigrate here.
After the statements, it was Evalina Dias’ turn to congratulate Marcelo for the words “very much needed”. On the TSF radio broadcast the same day, the president of Djass, a non-profit organization with the mission of “defending and promoting the rights of blacks and afro-descendants in Portugal and of fight racism in all its forms and dimensions“, he stated that this was the first step to open the” debate in Portuguese society about who is Portuguese, who is considered Portuguese in fact, which is not being done “.
“In the Olympic team that went to Tokyo, from 92, I counted about 14 who do not have white Portuguese ethnic origin, but are Portuguese. We have people of Asian, African and other European countries. Who is Portuguese? we are all portuguese. The declarations of the President of the Republic, even at the right time, are a debate that has to be held, “added the official, cited by the TSF.
Later in the statements, there is a phrase that the publication identified by the Polygraph attributes to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Not being, it is true, the President of the Republic, the statement was made following his statements on the Portuguese participation in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
“I noticed people of Asian origin, with Chinese names, and I found it interesting. Portuguese society is no longer just white Portuguese, the Silvas, Antónios and Sousas”, he then stated. Evalina days.
As for the names photographed at the Infante D. Henrique Nautical School, the Polygraph verified that they are authentic and that, contrary to what the publish insinuates, corresponding to national citizens. Still, according to information Voter Portal, the range of enumerated ranges from Portuguese citizens living in Portugal to citizens of another foreign country with legal residence in Portugal for more than three years.
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