The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, has called on the Portuguese authorities to address more resolutely the increasing level of racism in the country, as well as to take additional steps to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence.
The Commissioner is concerned about the rise of racially motivated hate crimes and hate speech targeting especially Roma, people of African descent and persons perceived as foreigners in Portugal. She recommends implementing a comprehensive action plan against racism and discrimination, urges the authorities to firmly and publicly condemn all instances of hate speech, and politicians to refrain from using or tolerating racist rhetoric.
