Passengers were forced off a bus in Lisbon before it was sprayed with petrol and set on fire in horrifying scenes. It came as Lisbon entered its third evening of riots on Wednesday night.
According to the Public Security Police (PSP), it was one of two buses set on fire in the early hours of this morning in the municipalities of Seixal and Loures, in addition to two burnt the previous night in Amadora and Oeiras.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, mayor of Seixal Paulo Silva reported: “An organised group of around 20 people stopped the bus in Arrentela, made the passengers and the driver get off, and sprayed the vehicle with petrol.”
The riots erupted on Monday evening in response to authorities shooting 43-year-old Cape Verdean man, Odair Moniz, which according to the PSP happened when officers “intercepted an individual who had been fleeing from the police” .
It happened in the outskirts of Lisbon at around 6am on Monday. On the day of Moniz’s death, the PSP said: “In the main street of the neighbourhood, when the police officers were approaching the suspect, he resisted arrest and tried to assault them with a weapon and one of the police officers.
“Having exhausted other means and efforts, resorted to a firearm and shot the suspect, in circumstances to be determined in a criminal and disciplinary investigation.”
Since Monday evening when the violence started, it’s alleged that 13 vehicles have been reported as damaged, two have been set on fire and one police car was torched.
News footage showed police with shields being pelted with missiles and vehicles, while TV channel SIC Noticias reports 30 people were involved in disturbances in the Zambujal neighbourhood where Moniz was killed and there have been several arrests.
Despite agreeing with the right to protest, Silva condemned the violence: “The right to protest is constitutional. Everyone should exercise it, but within constitutional limits and without violence and episodes that jeopardise people and property.”
Two Government ministers, António Leitão Amaro and Margarida Blasco met with mayors from 18 municipalities across the Lisbon area to discuss measures moving forward.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro pledged to strengthen security where necessary: “The security forces have been very competent in containing this wave of violence, but if we eventually have to tighten that containment, we’ll have to do it.”
Lisbon Metropolitan Council President Basílio Horta deemed the violence “unacceptable” while stressing the need to ascertain responsibility for the “tragedy” of Odair Moniz’s death through investigations that are underway, before determining “what is going to be done about it.”
Mayor of Lisbon Carlos Moedas believes the city will need to continue investing in police resource: “In 2010, Lisbon had more than 8,000 Public Security Police and today it has 6,700, in other words, the city of 2010 had more police than the city of 2024 and this cannot continue.”
However, he also reassured the public saying “there were no major problems to report” on Wednesday night, with only a few rubbish bins being set on fire, speaking outside a meeting of the Lisbon Metropolitan Council.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa urged for calm, while hoping the apparent decrease of incidents last night pointed towards an end of the unrest.
The Vida Justa announced it will hold a peacful demonstration starting at 3pm Saturday 26 October in Lisbon’s Marquês de Pombal to demand justice for the death of Odair Moniz, with the slogan “without justice, there is no peace”.
It’s Facebook page said: “Unfortunately, this is not a unique case. There are too many deaths in our communities. We need to put an end to police violence and impunity in our neighbourhoods. People must stop being treated as non-citizens who can be attacked and killed.”
It also said “security in communities can only be achieved through social peace and the guarantee of justice,” and that “poverty and ethnicity cannot be criminalised”.
It added neighbourhoods “don’t need police violence” but instead need “public facilities, better jobs, proper public services, satisfactory transport and decent housing”.
