Livre co-spokesperson Rui Tavares accused André Ventura of repeating a phrase used by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler—"we were stabbed in the back"—during the Chega leader's speech at the 25th of April anniversary session. Tavares argued that this reference to the Colonial War mirrors the Nazi “stab-in-the-back” myth. He also criticized the government's decision to place the 25th of April Interpretative Centre in Pontinha rather than Terreiro do Paço, and called for better education regarding the history of the dictatorship to prevent the spread of misinformation by opportunists.
Rui Tavares accuses André Ventura of having "repeated four or five times" a phrase used by Hitler
Saturday, 25 April 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
André Ventura, born January 15, 1983, is a lawyer, academic, and Portugal's most prominent far-right leader. He founded Chega ("Enough") in 2019 after his PSD mayoral campaign attacked the Romani community. Chega surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest party and making Ventura Leader of the Opposition.
His platform emphasizes immigration restrictions, law-and-order policies, constitutional reform, and contains inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric that has triggered multiple discrimination convictions and investigations. Politically classified as far-right by international media, Ventura cultivates alliances with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen and Santiago Abascal.
- Leader: Rui Tavares
- Ideology: Green left-wing politics, libertarian socialism
LIVRE (meaning "Free") is a green left-wing party founded in 2014 by historian and former MEP Rui Tavares. The party struggled for years before finally electing Tavares as its first MP in 2022, then grew to 4 seats in 2024 and 6 seats in 2025—making it the only progressive party to gain ground in recent elections. LIVRE focuses on environmental protection, human rights, and progressive social policies while maintaining a pro-European stance.
Chega ("Enough") is a Portuguese far-right populist party founded in 2019 by André Ventura. It positions itself as an anti-establishment movement against what it calls a "rotten and corrupt system" of PS-PSD dominance. The party surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest force with 60 seats. Chega's core platform emphasizes strict immigration control—ending automatic CPLP residency, deporting non-independent immigrants, implementing job-market quotas, and requiring five-year social security contributions before benefit access. It advocates radical constitutional reform, including reducing parliament to 100 members, abolishing the prime minister position for a presidential system, and dismantling public healthcare. Law-and-order policies include life imprisonment and chemical castration proposals.
The party is defined by inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric, with Ventura convicted multiple times for discrimination. Chega maintains international alignments with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen, Santiago Abascal, and Matteo Salvini. Mainstream Portuguese parties, including Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's government, have imposed a cordon sanitaire, refusing coalition with Chega despite its parliamentary strength.
Rui Tavares is a historian, writer, and politician who serves as a spokesperson for the political party Livre. He has been a member of the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República) since 2022 and previously served as a member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2014.
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