Supported by the former Globo actress, the far right defends Brazilians in Portugal

Brazilians targeted by xenophobia in Portugal have received surprising support. In an interview in Porto Canal, the far-right leader André Ventura, of the Chega party, differentiated immigrants from the former South American colony from those from other countries.

“The case of Brazilians is different,” he said. “Brazilians have the same civilizational matrix as us, a Judeo-Christian matrix… I will not side with the persecution.”

When asked by the host if he had adopted a more moderate speech, the fiercely anti-immigration politician explained himself.

“We have many Brazilians in Chega, Angolans and Mozambicans. People who speak the Portuguese language, like Portugal, love Portuguese culture and want to contribute… There is cultural integration here.”

He later opposed some immigrants. “We cannot compare ourselves (to Brazilians and other former colonized peoples) with those who come from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh or Afghanistan. It’s different, we have to treat it differently.”

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of Brazilian actors, singers and presenters who have moved to Lisbon and its surroundings to escape the violence in Brazil and in search of new career opportunities. Among these, Fernanda Lima, Rodrigo Hilbert, Luana Piovani, Marcello Anthony, Malu Magalhães, Thiago Rodrigues, Pedro Cardoso and Bruno Cabrerizo. The soap opera author Aguinaldo Silva also settled in Portuguese lands.

One of André Ventura’s biggest supporters is the Portuguese actress Maria Vieira. At Globo he participated in the soap operas ‘Negócio da China’ and ‘Aquele Beijo’ and in the miniseries ‘Brasil a Bordo’.

In June 2022, the artist accused the broadcaster Rio of having removed her from the cast of ‘Travessia’ for not having been vaccinated against Covid-19, an obligation imposed by the management for anyone intending to work on the channel.

Declared right-wing and against sensitive issues, such as compulsory vaccination and the rights of transsexuals, Maria said at the time that she was a victim “of the injustices that are committed in the name of socialism, globalism and political correctness”.

In an interview with TV roomEarlier that year, the actress vented about her cancellation and said her situation was similar to that of her fellow professional Regina Duarte.

“It is obvious that I feel discriminated against and I think this discrimination is very evident considering that after publicly declaring myself to be a right-wing, conservative woman and actress, I simply stopped working and began to be ostracized, persecuted and bullied. target of continuous lies and false statements.”

At the end of 2023, Maria Vieira announced the end of her television career. “I did a lot of nonsense about crappy television to secure my financial future.” She currently works as a municipal deputy for Chega in the city of Cascais, near Lisbon.

Source: Terra