A Communist Party member of Cascais Council has been arrested and taken away in handcuffs for trying to protect an area of Ecological Reserve from bulldozers that had started to construct a car park.
Clemente Alves was at a demonstration to prevent the construction of the 200-vehicle parking area and denies resisting the police: he will appear in Cascais court tomorrow.
According to the council, Alves was taking part in an illegal demonstration against work in Cascais and was detained after reacting aggressively to a police request to leave the site.
The councilman denies this version of events and says that he was with a group of residents who wanted clarification about the work being carried out.
"Police officers tried to have the councilman leave the scene, but he treated a policeman badly, disobeyed orders and resisted. He was detained and taken to Estoril police station," said the police commander.
Clemente Alves stood in front of the machines and wanted to stop the work, arguing that there should be a green space there as the area is an Ecological Reserve space.
The communist councillor said he was questioned by members of the Public Security Police who attended the site and who asked him to leave the area.
The police said that Alves behaved aggressively. Alves does not agree: "I do not understand how the police can support this accusation, I did not resist anything, I just complained about the police presence at the site and I was beaten, thrown to the ground, handcuffed and taken to the police station. This was manifestly an excessive use of force by the police."
Last Thursday, Clemente Alves accused Cascais Council of committing an "environmental attack" at Quinta da Carreira, in S. João do Estoril, "with the construction of a car park for 200 vehicles in an area classified in the Municipal Master Plan as Ecological Reserve."
In a text published on Facebook, Alves said that the work was illegal as there was no ‘aviso’ notice posted at the site.
According to a statement from the demonstration organisers, locals are against the continuation of the work, "which is full of various technical and legal anomalies, and is contrary to the interest of the population, which, incidentally, has never been consulted."
Clemente Alves, said "It shows a lack of respect for the residents, that a parking lot is being built in a place where a recreation area should be created."
