British tourists are being warned of rioting which has erupted across parts of Lisbon. The popular holiday destination has been hit with nights of carnage.
Passengers were forced off a bus before it was sprayed with petrol and set on fire in shocking scenes. The riot in Portugal’s capital began on Monday, October 21.
They are said to be in response to authorities shooting 43-year-old man Odair Moniz, from Cape Verde. It is understood he was shot when officers ‘intercepted an individual who had been fleeing from the police’.
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Hotel bosses and tourism leaders now fear the violence ‘could cause a poor image and be a large problem for tourism’. Hélder Martins, president of AHETA, the Algarve Association of Hoteliers and Touristic Resorts, told Correio da Manhã: “Any upset to public order has an impact on tourism.
“When something happens in Lisbon, or any other part of the country, tourist markets see it as Portugal as a whole.” Thousands in Lisbon staged a demonstration against police violence on Saturday, October 26, Express reports.
Protestors chanted the slogan “Justice for Odair”. According to the Public Security Police, the incident happened on 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 the shooting, Portuguese police have reportedly recorded more than 100 incidents of public disturbances in Lisbon.
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