Alleged case of xenophobia. Minister suggests that Portugal “give back gold”

NIn a video published by the Brazilian press, Brazilian minister Flávio Dino, during a ceremony launching a scholarship program, referred to a video that appeared on social media on Monday “of a Portuguese woman cursing a Brazilian woman at Lisbon airport “.

In the video, which was taken at an airport in Portugal (and which you can see here)it is possible to hear the Portuguese woman saying “go to your homeland, they are invading Portugal”, among other xenophobic statements.

In response, minister Flávio Dino said: “Well, if that’s the case, we have the right to reciprocity, don’t we? Because in 1500 they invaded Brazil.”

“And I even agree that they repatriate all the immigrants who are there, returning the gold from Ouro Preto with them, and then everything will be fine, we will be even,” he added.

Brazilian deputy Túlio Gadelha, rapporteur of the Commission on International Migrations and Refugees of the Chamber of Deputies, also said today that he asked the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to question the Portuguese embassy about this case.

Speaking to the Metrópoles portal, Túlio Gadelha stated that this case “is a crime, disrespectful to the nation, culture and Brazilians”.

“It’s not the first time it’s happened, but every [estas situações] they are revolting. These recurring cases of xenophobia need to stop. We will closely monitor the investigation of this regrettable fact,” he said.

According to data from the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), around 400 thousand Brazilian citizens reside in Portugal, and represent around 40% of the foreign population, with a higher incidence in the municipalities of Lisbon, Cascais, Sintra, Porto and Braga.

At the end of 2022, 239,744 Brazilians lived in the country, which represents, this year alone, an increase of around 36% in this community. Close to 153 thousand have acquired residence permits since January.

Speaking to Lusa in October, on the National Day to Fight Violence against Women, Brazil’s Minister for Women stated that the Brazilian Government is active, attentive and “supporting the Brazilian community in Portugal” who are victims of intolerance and violence, especially against women.

“We know that whenever there is an uprising of supremacists, anywhere in the world, women are among the most vulnerable social groups and it is precisely against them that the first blows of intolerance and violence are struck,” he added.

In the specific case of Portugal, the minister detailed, the Brazilian Government “has acted to support the Brazilian community in Portugal”, the largest foreign community in the country and the one that has grown the most in recent years.

This work has been done through international cooperation agreements, including the joint work of Brazilian and Portuguese universities “through the Observatory to Combat Racism and Xenophobia, in Portugal”.

During the official visit of the Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Minister of Racial Equality in Brazil, Anielle Franco, and the First Lady, Janja da Silva, met “with Brazilian women in Portugal and heard reports of the increase cases of xenophobia”, recalled Cida Gonçalves.

These statements to Lusa came following a report by the Brazilian portal UOL, at the beginning of October, which denounced the increase in cases of xenophobia against Brazilians in Portugal, with several testimonies from residents in the country.

Read Also: Brazilian woman denounces xenophobia attack in Porto: “Go to your homeland”