Portugal’s Largest Anti-Hate Raid: 37 Far-Right Suspects Arrested

The largest police action against far-right violence that Portugal has seen in more than a decade unfolded this week, sending a clear signal that hate-motivated attacks will now be met with a muscular response. Dozens of suspects linked to a neo-Nazi network were rounded up, large caches of propaganda were seized and investigators say they have cut off an international pipeline of racist extremism that had begun to take root from Braga to Faro.

Snapshot: what matters most

The following points frame the operation’s impact for residents and policy-makers alike.

• 37 individuals arrested in simultaneous dawn raids.

• 65 search warrants executed from Porto suburbs to the Algarve.

• 15 additional suspects formally named but not taken into custody.

• Target was the ultra-right “1143” group, accused of orchestrating street assaults on migrants.

• Police say they dismantled a nation-wide recruitment network run from inside a Lisbon prison cell.

• The operation follows a five-year surge in xenophobic crime recorded by independent monitors.

How the raids unfolded

Before sunrise on 20 January, nearly 400 investigators from the Polícia Judiciária’s Unidade Nacional de Contraterrorismo fanned out across 17 municipalities. Tactical teams breached flats, warehouses and even a rural shooting range, confiscating knives, air-rifles, Nazi insignia, encrypted phones and a trove of online chat logs. According to senior officials, the evidence ties the detainees to co-ordinated harassment campaigns against African, Brazilian and South-Asian newcomers. A police source told Público that officers recovered “step-by-step manuals” on how to intimidate migrant shop-owners.

Anatomy of “1143”: from football ultras to digital hate hub

Prosecutors describe “1143” as a loose federation of hooligans from Sporting’s Juventude Leonina, Porto’s Super Dragões and smaller gyms around Setúbal. What began as terrace violence allegedly morphed into an ideological project glorifying the year Portugal’s first king was crowned—hence the name. Intelligence files reviewed by the courts cite Mário Machado, Portugal’s most notorious neo-Nazi, as the architect. Despite serving time for earlier hate crimes, Machado allegedly issued encrypted orders via a contraband smartphone, instructing followers to “defend Portuguese blood” in Telegram channels that amassed over 22 000 subscribers.

What investigators say they uncovered

Authorities believe the network’s activities went well beyond online bluster:

• Street patrols in immigrant-heavy neighbourhoods meant to “reclaim” territory.

• Plans for provocative stunts outside Lisbon mosques timed for Ramadan.

• A clandestine shop that laser-etched swastikas onto belt buckles and sold them across Europe.

• Evidence of cryptocurrency fundraising routed through Poland and Germany.

The presence of a serving PSP officer and an active-duty soldier among the detainees has already prompted the ministries of Internal Administration and Defence to open parallel disciplinary reviews.

The bigger picture: hate crime on the rise

While Portuguese society still prides itself on tolerance, data compiled by the Commission for Equality and against Racial Discrimination, the European Commission’s ECRI branch and NGOs such as Casa do Brasil draw a different trend line: complaints of racist aggression quintupled from 2019 to 2024. Online attacks are multiplying even faster. Researchers warn that the lack of centralised statistics masks the full scale, making operations like “Irmandade” crucial not only for law enforcement but also for building an accurate evidence base.

Applause and caveats from civil-society watchdogs

Rights organisations welcomed the crackdown yet urged systemic follow-through. Amnesty International praised the “swift intervention” but reminded authorities that Portugal still lags in victim-support funding. The Platform for Human Rights added that several past cases against police officers accused of brutality stalled in court, eroding migrant trust. “Raids are important,” the NGO’s legal director said, “but without consistent convictions and anti-racist education, the problem merely shifts underground.”

What comes next in the courts

All 37 detainees have begun the lengthy process of first-appearance hearings at Lisbon’s Central Criminal Court. Prosecutors intend to press charges ranging from criminal association to incitement to violence, crimes that can carry up to 10 years in prison. Defence lawyers argue “1143” is a “social club” taken out of context. Judges are expected to decide on pre-trial detention orders early next week; observers predict that at least the alleged ringleaders will remain behind bars as the case unfolds.

Practical advice: reporting hate incidents in Portugal

For anyone who witnesses or experiences xenophobic aggression:

Dial 112 if the situation is urgent.

File a complaint at the nearest PSP or GNR station; request a formal copy.

Contact the SOS Racismo hotline (#808 914 195) for legal guidance.

Save digital evidence—screenshots, messages, geolocation data—which can strengthen future prosecutions.

Why this operation matters for Portugal’s future

By moving decisively against a well-organised extremist cell, authorities hope to reassure both longtime residents and the 800 000 foreign nationals who now call Portugal home that the country’s hospitality will not be hijacked by violent fringe groups. Whether “Irmandade” becomes a turning point depends on sustained investment in community policing, better hate-crime tracking and, above all, a collective commitment to keep Portugal’s streets—and its online forums—open to all who live here.