Passos Coelho and Paulo Portas changed their campaigning plan today to avoid having to speak over noisy BES protestors.
The GNR were on site at Plaza Don Luís, in Paços de Ferreira, Oporto, and with the help of the Riot Police blocked the protestors who had gathered in front of the podium at one end of the square.
A group of depositors affected by the Banco Espírito Santo investment scandal had gathered with their whistles and horns possibly to disrupt the speeches.
The GNR and members of the Intervention Detachment hemmed in the 40 demonstrators as the PM and his deputy appeared at the other end of the square to address the crowd.
One of the protesters spoke to the PSD press officer José Mendonça and complained of being prevented from moving location by the security forces.
José Mendonça reminded him that the Prime Minister already had spoken to him on another occasion. The protester said that Passos Coelho had promised to help but has lied and done nothing.
At the beginning of rally, one member of BES group used a megaphone to declare that Passos Coelho was the best person to help the BES depositors and expressed his confidence that this is a government that will help those affected by the BES ‘commercial paper’ scam.
The has PM has met representatives from the protestors’ group but has failed to take any action to resolve the problem, advising them instead to go to court to get their money back; a less than helpful response to the institutional rip-off that has left many without their life savings.
