"It is absolutely outrageous that these people who need to work have to be forced to work without rights because a parish council is enslaving them, in practice," José Falcão, from SOS Racismo, one of the associations participating in the protest, which began at 4:30 pm, told Lusa.

The issue is that this parish was the first to refuse to issue residence certificates to non-EU immigrants without a valid residence permit in Portugal, a position later adopted by other councils.

Considering that this is a decision that creates "a bureaucratic labyrinth with no way out, which has the sole purpose of exclusion, the marginalization of migrants in Portuguese society and an obstacle to access to rights", around 100 people joined the protest called by the associations Casa do Brasil de Lisboa, Coletivo Andorinha, Diásporas.pt, Gat.afrik, Gatportugal, Habita, HuBB, Kilombo, Panteras Rosa, Rede de Apoio Mútuo entre migrantes and Stop Despejos.

Speaking to Lusa, José Falcão accused the Junta de Arroios of "robbing the country", arguing that if the immigrants in question "were working with rights, they would be contributing to their retirement" as well as to the retirement of the Portuguese, since these people "give the Social Security thousands of millions of euros in benefits through the taxes they pay".

However, "by not working, by not having these documents, those who gain are those who pay them and also do not make contributions", he added, stressing that by refusing the certificates, the Junta de Arroios "is, in fact, enslaving, feeding slavery, since a large part of the employers like to have people [working] without rights".

Criticizing the position of the parishes that have taken the same option, José Falcão extended his criticism to the "rule of law" which "should be for everyone, not just for some", and which should "make these councils do what they have to do.

For the leader of SOS Racismo, the Junta de Arroios "should be tried for theft, because it is robbing the Portuguese state by not allowing immigrants to legalize themselves", thus assuming an "outrageous" position of which he accuses the state of "being an accomplice".

"A country that boasts of having a hundred or so nationalities present, that has a President of the Republic who went to tell the Timorese to come here to work and they are now in front of the Agency for the Integration of Migrants and Asylum (AIMA) waiting for their papers, now what do you do to them?", he asked, to emphasize the "scandal" to which he believes immigrants are being subjected.

Questioned by Lusa, the president of the Junta de Freguesia de Arroios, Madalena Natividade (independent, elected by CDS-PP), refused to comment on the protesters' criticisms, recalling only that the Constitution "recognizes the right to demonstrate for all citizens" and that its exercise "proves the vitality of 25 April 1974 which instituted freedom in Portugal".

The decision to limit access to residence certificates by some parishes was contested by the previous Government and by the PS, BE and CDU in the parish of Arroios.

In an opinion issued in March, the National Association of Parishes (Anafre) argued that the issuance of residence certificates to foreign citizens by parishes does not require the presentation of any residence permit because it is not the competence of these local authorities to assess the legality of immigrants' stay in the country.

On Thursday, around 100 people demonstrated at the door of AIMA, in Lisbon, to complain about the delays in issuing residence authorization cards.

Leia Também: Centro de alojamento no Beato para sem-abrigo funciona desde quinta-feira (Portuguese version)