The Lisbon Court of Appeal has upheld a civil court order requiring the removal of campaign posters by André Ventura that targeted the Roma community. The court ruled that the message “Roma must follow the law” is inherently discriminatory and not protected by political freedom of speech. The ruling cites European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence to argue that political discourse loses protection when it attacks ethnic groups. This decision contrasts sharply with a recent Public Prosecutor's ruling that archived criminal complaints regarding the same posters, a move lawyer Garcia Pereira described as being written as if by someone from the Chega party.
Appeals Court confirms order to remove Ventura's posters. Decision "reduces the Public Prosecutor's argument to dust," says Garcia Pereira
Friday, 13 March 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
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.
