“There are speeches, there are sensitivities, there are perspectives, but that is part of democracy”he added, stressing that “there are points of view that are not necessarily the majority, that are not widespread, but that follow a wave, a fashion in other countries”.
Marcelo stated that “one of Portugal’s problems is that it often copies what happens abroad” and considered that “this is an example that applies to immigration”.
“Immigration in many European countries is one thing, immigration in Portugal is something completely different”he noted, referring to “the overwhelming weight of Portuguese-speaking communities” in the country.
The head of state preferred not to comment directly on the episode that occurred in parliament, saying that “a fashion for a lot of emotion in speech and a lot of emotion with a more truculent tone than the one we were used to is in vogue in Portugal and around the world”.
“It happens every day”he added.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa highlighted, however, that “We must have the exact notion that this is one thing; another thing is truly what people feel on a daily basis, what day-to-day practice is, and then we cannot generalize”.
“It is unfair to generalize because it does not respond to the truth”he concluded.