"We do not accept racist and xenophobic statements that promote hate, that want to whitewash this sad colonial past, that want to whitewash fascism", argued the communist leader, during a speech in Baleizão, in the municipality of Beja.

And the PCP, he continued, does not accept "that this discourse be popularized, wherever it may be and much less in the Assembly of the Republic, where each and every one [of the deputies] swore to comply with and enforce the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic".

Therefore, "the President of the Assembly of the Republic [José Pedro Aguiar-Branco] was wrong. He was wrong to allow these statements and these declarations to be popularized", criticized Paulo Raimundo.

In Baleizão, at a rally in homage to Catarina Eufémia, the leader of the PCP alluded to the fact that the President of the Assembly of the Republic (AR) had allowed, on Friday, the leader of Chega, André Ventura, to continue his speech, after having said that "the Turks are not exactly known for being the most hard-working people in the world".

Aguiar-Branco considered that it is not his responsibility to censor the positions or opinions of deputies, referring to the Public Prosecutor's Office for any possible criminal liability of the parliamentary speech.

Referring to what happened on Friday in parliament, which 'awakened' a chorus of boos by the communist militants and supporters who were attending the rally, Paulo Raimundo warned that it is necessary to stop racism and xenophobia.

"For every meter that this hate speech advances, for every meter that this racist speech advances, it is one more meter in which hate advances, but it is also one more meter in which the exploitation of those who work advances", he warned.

And it is this exploitation of workers "that is intended" to be achieved, "finding pretexts", noted Paulo Raimundo, contrasting that the PCP does not accept this: "We have proven proof in this land that the path is different, it is not the increase in exploitation".

In his speech, on the day that marks the 70th anniversary of the assassination of rural worker Catarina Eufémia by the GNR, during the dictatorship, the communist leader stressed that there are "more than enough reasons" for the struggle of workers, namely those who are immigrants.

They seek in Portugal, "legitimately", better living conditions, "in the same way that thousands and thousands of Portuguese leave here to go in search of better living conditions in other countries".

"And we do not underestimate the difficulties, we do not underestimate the real problems that exist, but we absolutely reject the discourse of hate, the discourse of racism and the discourse of xenophobia", he stressed.

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