The National Democratic Alternative party (ADN) has criticized the president of the Albufeira City Council for the implementation of the "Code of Conduct", saying that he "chose the easiest and most politically convenient path: instead of seriously facing the lack of control that has taken hold in the city".
In February of this year, Albufeira announced that it intended to ban bikinis and shorts on the streets and terraces, and last week, on Tuesday 20th May, the measure was unanimously approved. The next step is to go to a vote in the Municipal Assembly, before being published in the Official Gazette.
“The document now approved is the result of a joint construction process that involved several public entities and civil society”, said the Mayor of Albufeira, José Carlos Rolo, in a statement.
The mayor said that there would be inspections by the Municipal Police and other authorities to ensure that the rules were being complied with, and that fines could range from €300 to €1,500.
The measure, which includes walking in the street in “bikinis, trikinis, swimsuits and similar items, shorts and underwear”, aims to combat “partial nudity”. This extends to terraces and other similar establishments, but Hotels, beaches and their car parks are excluded.
In addition to not allowing people to walk around in a state of complete or partial nudity, the Albufeira City Council plan also prohibits simulating sexual acts, sleeping, spitting, urinating or defecating in public spaces. Drinking alcohol in the street is also prohibited, as is making noise in residential areas and abandoning shopping carts.
However, the National Democratic Alternative political party say that the proposal is not a solution, but “a clear evasion of responsibilities”, which “ends up violating the fundamental rights, freedoms and guarantees of citizens”.
In a statement, the ADN party said that for years, Albufeira has been “invaded by organised groups of vandals and delinquents,” mostly foreigners, who use the city as a space without rules, making excessive noise, displaying drunkenness, inappropriate sexual behaviour in public, assaults and destruction of property. Faced with this scenario, “the local authority did nothing, turned a blind eye, allowed the disaster to happen and now intends to transfer the blame to law-abiding residents and tourists, proposing restrictive measures without any legal basis,” it said.
The ADN points out that the Portuguese Penal Code already provides for appropriate sanctions for behaviour that offends public morals and decency - such as sexual harassment in a public space, obscene displays of obscene acts towards third parties and obscene acts towards minors. It therefore believes that the current legislation is sufficient to guarantee respect for public space and the dignity of citizens. "There is therefore no need to create parallel, arbitrary rules of dubious constitutionality."
At the same time, it is agreed that commercial establishments - such as cafes, restaurants and terraces - can refuse to serve customers who are shirtless or wearing bikinis, as long as these rules are clearly displayed.
The insufficient number of Municipal Police and Civil Protection personnel, "who do not have - nor will they have - the capacity to enforce, monitor or contain disorderly situations caused by groups of individuals, most of whom are drunk", could put the physical integrity of those professionals at risk, "placing upon them a disproportionate and impractical responsibility".
The situation is also the responsibility of some tour operators and hotels, “who continue to promote Albufeira in markets such as the United Kingdom and other European countries as a destination for stag and hen parties. This type of tourism has been rejected by several destinations in Europe due to the negative impact it causes. Local studies and data indicate that most episodes of disturbances and public nudity originate from these organised groups, whose presence is directly linked to irresponsible marketing campaigns”, reads the ADN statement.
For the ADN, the "Code of Conduct" is "illegal, unconstitutional and inapplicable", justifying that "it is not with improvised moralisms that we combat delinquency, the lack of common sense or the decline of customs - we combat it with courage, authority, effective supervision and strict compliance with the law".
The party advocates increased police presence, coordinated action with the security forces, responsibility on the part of tourism operators, “and municipal leadership that governs with seriousness and firmness.” In the document released, it demands effective compliance with the Penal Code “and an end to attempts to disguise municipal incompetence with codes of conduct that are nothing more than tests of new forms of repression.”
Source https://www.algarveprimeiro.com/ - Photo: André Vidigal/Arquivo
