PSP guaranteed this Friday that it used “strictly necessary force” to remove the students who staged a protest at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Lisbon. “The removal of protesters from inside the Faculty was conducted with sensitivity and respect for human rights.”
The PSP guaranteed this Friday that it had used “strictly necessary force” to remove the students who staged a protest at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Lisbon against the war in the Gaza Strip and the use of fossil fuels.
In a statement, the Public Security Police (PSP), which detained eight activists (between 19 and 28 years old) for disobedience, assured that they had explained to the protesters the reasons for their presence at the site and that they were called at the request of the management of the Faculty of Psychology because the protest was, allegedly, “putting into question the normal functioning” of the institution.
“The removal of protesters from inside the Faculty was conducted with sensitivity and respect for human rights and prioritizing the safety of all parties involved and, although dialogue and mediation of the situation were attempted, they were unsuccessful, with the need to implement the aforementioned arrests”, reads the note released by the police force.
When removing the eight activists who did not decide not to comply with the orders to leave the premises, the PSP said it had come across “around 30 to 40 activists on the public road” and that they approached and surrounded the police vehicles, with some having sitting on the road to prevent the retreat.
“There was a need to create a safety box using the strictly necessary force, in order to free the roadway and consequently the safe removal of vehicles and their occupants, which was verified”, highlighted the PSP, which took the detained to the Lisbon Metropolitan Command to later be brought before the court.
Activists condemn “police violence”
The security force’s statement comes hours after a spokeswoman for the activist movement reported to Lusa that there had been “police violence”. Joana Fraga said that the authorities’ action resulted in “strong pushes and blows, leaving even parents of students, who were supporting the protest, on the ground”.
Today, the University of Lisbon (UL) also issued a statement justifying the police call due to the need to “restore the security of goods, equipment and people”.
Portuguese university and secondary school students linked to movements such as the Student Climate Strike and Students for Justice in Palestine have been protesting since Tuesday at the UL Faculty of Psychology, in whose building the Institute of Education also operates. The movements had called for the occupation in association with a student protest that began on North American campuses and spread to universities in several European cities, Canada, Mexico and Australia, to demand an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
