At the opening of the urgent debate in parliament requested by Chega on this topic, André Ventura considered that the statements by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa "represent a profound betrayal without parallel" in Portuguese history.

The president of Chega addressed the former combatants, returnees and "those who were plundered in the provinces of the Empire", considering that "in the balance of what is owed and what is due" if there was "something to pay" it would be "that world outside that would have to pay Portugal".

Ventura questioned the Government, represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, if "it will ever make an effort" to provide reparations to the former colonies.

On April 27, days after Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa's statements, the Government had already stated that "there was not and is not any process or program of specific actions with the purpose" of reparations for the colonial past.

For the PSD, Regina Bastos defended that "freedom of opinion is the oxygen of democracy", regretting that there are "forbidden topics and legitimised censorship for some who cannot accept this freedom".

For the PSD, Portugal has a "smooth" relationship with the former colonies and "exemplary institutional relations", considering that only with respect and reconciliation with the common past can we "cooperate and grow", with cooperation being a "touchstone of bilateral relations".

"It was not the statements by the President of the Republic that created a media uproar. It was the political opportunism that was made of them that created it and continues to feed it", he accused.

The PS, through Pedro Delgado Alves, criticised "yet another desperate search for attention" in which Chega "sought division on a topic that is difficult and that deserved more respect", accusing the party of "lacking sense and lacking respect for the intelligence" of parliament and the country.

Considering that this scheduling does not have a "drop of urgency", the PS deputy stated that "Portugal may not yet have had a debate on decolonisation like other countries", but that never prevented the relationship of loyalty and respect.

Paulo Núncio, from the CDS-PP, disagreed with the position of the head of state, but does not confuse it with a "very serious criminal process".

"I will not waste another second on an initiative that is politically insane, legally ignorant and institutionally childish", he said, in a short speech in which he did not use all the time available.

The speech by Joana Mortágua, from the BE, generated one of the tensest moments, when she went up to the pulpit to the sound of the Chega bench and asked: "is it all fear?".

"The topic of historical reparations has gained space in the public debate. Europe is dealing with its past. (...) The choice we have to make is between following this European debate or remaining tied to the old propaganda", she defended.

The Bloquista stated that if this complaint were taken seriously "the President would risk 10 years in prison", asking if that "is the punishment for someone who has a different opinion" from Chega.

For the Livre, Rui Tavares said that the terms used by Chega "indicate a total lack of respect and ignorance about the history of Portugal".

For Tavares, what Ventura did from the pulpit, saying that the former colonies should pay for dams or bridges, is a speech that corresponds to Putin's about Ukraine.

For the PCP, António Filipe criticised a debate that only serves for Chega "to have a few more hours of airtime on television".

"Along with the appreciation of events and processes that are part of the march of progress of human civilisation, we cannot tolerate the whitewashing of colonialism, slavery and fascism", he said.

For the IL, Rui Rocha considered that there are "historical reparations, hysterical reactions and also hypocritical reactions".

In the hysterical reactions, there is Chega's intention that the "President of the Republic be sentenced to a prison term of between 10 and 20 years", considering that Ventura "is a lawyer and has an obligation to know the absolute lack of foundation of what he intends to do".

On the side of hypocrisy are the "collective imputations of guilt", taking the opportunity to ask Ventura if he subscribes to the words of Chega's lead candidate for the European elections about conspiracy theories, stating that the leader of Chega "is a little lamb at home and here he promotes the circus".

For the PAN, Inês Sousa Real accused Chega of "abusing parliament" and said that the "50 deputies in parliament do not want to solve problems, they just want scandals, mud fights".

The statements by the President of the Republic in question, about the colonial period, made at a meeting with foreign media outlets on April 23, are as follows: "We are responsible for what we did there, and we continue to be. It is not a case of apologising and it's over, we are friends, no. What we did there, in the massacres, had costs. We have to pay the costs. It is still possible to pay today, we will pay. We are dealing with goods that were plundered and were not returned, when it was proven that they were plundered. So let's see how we can make reparations for that".

Under the terms of article 308 of the Penal Code, the crime of treason against the fatherland is committed by "whoever, through usurpation or abuse of sovereign functions: a) attempts to separate the motherland or hand over to a foreign country or subject to foreign sovereignty the entire Portuguese territory or part thereof, or b) offends or endangers the independence of the country".

Article 328 of the Penal Code establishes that "to insult or defame the President of the Republic" constitutes the crime of offence against the honour of the President of the Republic and "is punishable by imprisonment for up to 3 years or by a fine", and when "the insult or defamation is made by means of words spoken in public", the penalty is aggravated to "from 6 months to 3 years or by a fine of not less than 60 days".

The same article provides that "criminal proceedings shall cease if the President of the Republic expressly states that he/she desists from them".

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