A major civic space report on Portugal warns of a sharp deterioration in civil liberties, citing abusive police repression of peaceful protests, discriminatory raids without judicial warrants, and physical aggression against an LGBTQI+ community in Loures in 2025. While Portugal remains classified as having an "open" civic space — one of 12 European countries in that category — campaigners say freedoms continued to shrink throughout 2025.
The report, produced by Civic Forum Europe and the Civic Space Observatory with the Portuguese chapter by Academia Cidadã, flags the normalization of xenophobic narratives, particularly against immigrants, and notes that the far-right Chega party grew from one lawmaker in 2019 to 60 in 2024, gaining power to shape media agendas and parliamentary negotiations. It also cites a June 2025 judicial police investigation revealing neo-Nazi elements within the PSP, GNR, and Navy, and criticizes the removal of an extremism chapter from the national security report.
Among its recommendations, the report calls for an independent mechanism to prevent institutional racism and illegal use of force, alongside stable funding for civil organizations.