The Portuguese police have once again resorted to violence, dispersing two peaceful and entirely lawful protests in an illegal and barbaric manner.
The protests in Portugal have not been getting as much media coverage as those in Spain or France, yet they represent the most significant popular unrest since the 2011 sovereign debt crisis and the subsequent 2012 demonstrations against the Thatcher-style policies of the center-right government at that time.
Portuguese society is unfortunately also split two-thirds to the right, with one-third belonging to the populist extreme right, which speaks to the worst instincts of the boomers and a whole new generation of Gen Zers who have been indoctrinated through TikTok, with the assistance of our big tech friends.
Protesters are being portrayed by most of the mainstream media as "lazy", "lacking personal hygiene" and ideologically-motivated. The extreme right has called for tougher action on them.