André Ventura Defends Jewish Community in Heated Portuguese Parliament Debate on Citizenship Law

Right-Wing Leader Defends Jewish Community in Contentious Nationality Debate

Lisbon - A stormy session of Portugal’s Assembly last week saw a remarkable defense of democratic principles from the right, as Chega party leader André Ventura forcefully rebuked the left for what he characterized as a targeted campaign against the country's Jewish community. In a parliamentary debate on immigration, Ventura turned the tables on the Communist and Socialist parties, accusing them of manufacturing a scandal and scapegoating Jews to distract from their own policy failures, a tactic seen by many as an extension of a rising anti-Israeli sentiment on the left.

A Coordinated Campaign Against a Minority

The controversy centers on the 2015 law offering citizenship to descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled five centuries ago. In recent months, left-wing parties, led by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), have relentlessly framed the law as a source of mass fraud. This narrative was amplified by the previous Socialist (PS) government and parts of the public media, creating the impression of a major scandal. During the debate, PCP deputy Paula Santos repeated the claim that the law opened a “fraudulent back door,” placing the blame for immigration issues squarely on this single group.

Court Dismisses Fraud Allegations as Baseless

However, the premise of this political attack has been dismantled by the judiciary itself. The Lisbon Court of Appeal, in reviewing the high-profile case against Rabbi Daniel Litvak of the Oporto Jewish Community, found the prosecution's allegations to be entirely without merit. The court’s ruling stated the accusations were based "on nothing" and were merely "a generalization without factual basis," effectively confirming that there were no significant findings of serious, widespread fraud. This judicial rebuke exposes the campaign against the Sephardic law as a coordinated political maneuver rather than a response to genuine criminal activity.

The Reality of Immigration in Portugal

The left's intense focus on Jewish naturalization appears entirely disconnected from Portugal's actual demographics. The country is home to a tiny Jewish community estimated between 3,000 and 6,000 people. Official 2023 data from Portugal's Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA) shows that the largest immigrant community is from Brazil, with 368,449 residents. This is followed by communities from Angola (55,589), Cape Verde (48,885), the United Kingdom (45,219), and India (44,534), with other significant groups coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China. The disproportionate focus on the Jewish community suggests a deliberate and targeted political choice.

Ventura's Stand Against Scapegoating

In a powerful moment on the Assembly floor, André Ventura met the left’s accusations with scathing sarcasm to expose their absurdity. Mocking what he called the PCP’s “obsession,” he scanned the public gallery and quipped, "Look, Jews everywhere! Jews flooding the country from north to south!" He then directly confronted the left-wing benches, declaring, “It wasn’t the Jews—it was you.” He argued that the real cause of Portugal’s immigration challenges was the open-door policies championed by socialist and communist parties, and he called on them to stop blaming an ethnic minority for their own political failures. In doing so, Ventura, often a critic of immigration policy, positioned himself as a defender of the democratic principle that no single ethnic group should be scapegoated.

A Pivot to Universal Principles

Concluding his sharp defense, Ventura used the nationalist slogan "Our blood is ours," not to exclude, but to pivot to a broader, democratic argument. He insisted that citizenship is earned and carries responsibilities, and that laws, especially concerning the revocation of nationality for serious crimes, should apply equally to all, regardless of origin. He contrasted this universal standard with the left's strategy of singling out one specific community. The Portuguese-Israeli Community later praised Ventura’s remarks as a “rare moment of lucidity,” validating his role in defending them against what was a clear case of political scapegoating.