The Minister of Internal Administration of Portugal, Luís Neves, has come out this Sunday in defense of the "proportional" action of the Police during the nighttime eviction of the housing camps in Lisbon and Porto, claiming that he only witnessed "one blow."
"I have followed the action and I only saw on one single occasion that a baton was used in the face of manifest opposition. Therefore, what I saw, and I believe we all saw, was the use of physical force to effectively enforce the law and the rule of law. That is what we are talking about here," he pointed out in statements disseminated by the newspaper 'Público.'
From an event held in Celorico de Basto, Neves emphasized that, although he acknowledges that this type of scene generates rejection among the citizenry, the Police will continue to intervene "whenever necessary."
During the evictions of the housing camps set up in the center of Lisbon and Porto, dozens of people have been injured during the course of the police operation.