The national director of the Judiciary Police (PJ), Luís Neves, guaranteed this Tuesday a “fierce fight” against incitement to hatred, following the arrest of a Portuguese-Brazilian man linked to the extreme right, suspected of threatening to kill two Brazilian journalists living in Portugal.
“It is not acceptable to seek to radicalize young people, some very young, to attacking women just because they are women or to attack people from other backgrounds“, Luís Neves said this Tuesday to journalists. The head of the PJ expressed concern about this type of crime, stressing that it is “politically motivated crimes” which will receive a firm response from the institution.
The PJ chief’s comments came after the PJ’s Counterterrorism Unit had Man suspected of having published messages of incitement to hatred and death threats on social media arrested addressed to two Brazilian journalists who work in Portugal. In one of the publications, made on the social network
The threats began in June last year, when the suspect sent the journalist an image holding weapons, accompanied by the message that they would be used to kill her. In September, he again published violent messages on social media. The journalist filed a complaint with the Public Ministry, with the support of the Brazilian Embassy, and the process is being conducted by the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) in Lisbon, in conjunction with the PJ.
Luís Neves also warned of the increase in violent crimes, particularly those involving firearms or bladed weapons. “For some time now, there is in fact a set of crimes that worry us. I am worried. The Judiciary Police is worried”, he stated, adding that “respect for others cannot be the target of radicalization of young people”.
Despite the seriousness of the facts, the PJ director assures that “Portugal continues to be a safe country”. Still, he regrets “the much online violence and hatred that spills over into reality and onto the streets”.
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