On Thursday, commentator Miguel Sousa Sousa Tavares spoke about the controversy over freedom of speech, which 'erupted' last week after comments made by Chega leader André Ventura.

In Parliament, the Chega leader spoke about the ten years planned for the construction of the new airport: "We can be much better than the Turks, the Chinese, the Albanians, we will have an airport in five years", he said. The phrase sparked a controversy about 'red lines' that continued into this week, after the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, cited the "freedom of speech" of deputies in the context of this discussion.

"One thing is the parliamentary immunity of deputies and they must have it because otherwise they cannot speak freely. Another thing is insults within Parliament. I think André Ventura did not insult anyone this time. And I think Aguiar-Branco was right. Because if tomorrow someone says 'the French are not known for being well-educated or the Chinese are not known for being a very hygienic people'. This is normal conversation that people have outside", said Sousa Tavares, in his commentary on CNN Portugal.

"People who were outraged should save their outrage for better opportunities that they will certainly have in relation to Chega and André Ventura", he added, pointing out, for example, another episode he had already talked about. At issue was Ventura's presence at a far-right congress in Spain where, at the weekend - after this controversy began in Portugal - Ventura said that it is necessary to "tell Europe" that it is not possible to continue to allow the "massive entry of Islamic and Muslim immigrants".

"This is racism and it is an attack on people because of their religious origin. That is what is serious. This statement is very serious", he said.

It should be recalled that the controversy here began in a discussion in Parliament, after the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, announced the location and plan for the new airport. During his speech, the commentator also considered that the comparison of the five years was wrong.

"He is wrong about the comparison. When he says that the Turks who work little build an airport in five years, we need ten or 12. The problem is that we will not need ten or 12 to build the airport. The first five are bureaucratic deadlines. The problem is there. The contract made by the Government with ANA implies that in the first five years no stone will be built. When we start building, we will probably take the same time as the Turks. Except that the Turks are not tied up with the monumental bureaucracy that we have", he argued.

Leia Também: "Desilusão". Partidos criticam "palavras infelizes" de Aguiar-Branco (Portuguese version)