On Monday, deputy Isabel Moreira considered that “the same people who shout against political correctness” were quick to call the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a “traitor” in light of the Head of State’s statements on the reparations owed for Portugal’s colonial past. The socialist was referring to the far-right party Chega, whose leader, André Ventura, announced that he would present a formal vote of condemnation in the Assembly of the Republic.

“It’s always like this. The same people who shout against political correctness and who shout ‘you can’t say anything anymore’ and talk about ‘cancelling’ don’t just limit themselves to criticising Marcelo. No. Marcelo is a ‘traitor’ and the Government is busy making a statement to calm the country down. A kind of ‘Marcelo will not pass’ to please Chega,” she wrote on the social network X (Twitter).

The issue at hand is the statements made by the President of the Republic, who suggested that Portugal should assume responsibility for the crimes committed during the colonial era, proposing the payment of reparations for the mistakes of the past, during a dinner with foreign journalists.

É sempre assim. Os mesmos que gritam contra o politicamente correto e que gritam “já não se pode dizer nada” e falam em “cancelamento” não se limitam a criticar Marcelo. Não. Marcelo é “traidor” e o governo trata de fazer uma declaração a sossegar o país. Uma espécie de “Marcelo…

— Isabel Moreira (@IsabelLMMoreira) April 29, 2024

"We can’t sweep this under the rug or put it in a drawer. We have an obligation to pilot, to lead this process, because if we don’t lead it, assuming it, what happened with countries that, having been colonial powers, after x years lost the capacity for dialogue and understanding with the former colonies will happen," he warned.

Following Marcelo’s statements, the Government stated, in a communiqué, that "there was and is no process or programme of specific actions with the purpose" of reparations for Portugal’s colonial past and defended that it will be guided "by the same line" as previous governments.

Even so, Chega warned that it will call the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Parliament, "to understand if there are any contacts on this matter with the Lusophone States or any specific request made to the Portuguese State", since, in its view, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s words represent "a betrayal of the Portuguese people and their History".

Read Also: Vote of condemnation? "We don’t align ourselves with Chega’s media show offs" (Portuguese version)