Criminal complaint filed against leader of Portugal's far right

Former politicians, musicians and lawyers from across Portugal have filed a criminal complaint against the leader of the far-right Chega party over “false or biased” statements made after a fatal police shooting of a Black man.

- Ashifa Kassam

For the past week, Portugal has been reeling from the death of Odair Moniz, a 43-year-old chef originally from Cape Verde. An official police statement initially said Moniz had fled, crashed a car and brandished a knife before an officer opened fire. The officer later told investigators there had been no knife involved, police sources told Portuguese media. The news agency AFP, citing Portuguese media, said the officer had been charged with manslaughter.

The killing sparked unrest in several municipalities on the outskirts of Lisbon last week, leading to the torching of more than a dozen cars and the arrests of 16 people. Seven people were injured.