Portuguese minister calls for calm after third night of unrest

Portugal's Minister for Justice Francisca Van Dunem appealed for calm on Thursday after a third night of violent vandalism in Lisbon and Setubal.

"It's important that there is balance and sensitivity when dealing with these issues so that calm can be restored," said Van Dunem.

"Public peace is essential to our way of life and to social cohesion between the different communities that comprise the national space," she added, in comments made to journalists following a Council of Ministers meeting.

As Van Dunem pointed out, keeping peace is the responsibility of the Ministry of Internal Administration, rather than the Ministry of Justice.

But as the first black minister in Portugal's history, her opinion was sought after, given the racial element to the unrest.

There have been three nights of serious vandalism in and around the Lisbon area, much of it focused on marginalized or immigrant areas.

The Public Security Police (PSP) reported that over 30 rubbish bins were set on fire in the Lisbon outskirts on Wednesday night.

In Setubal, a town 50 km south of Lisbon, a municipal bus was set alight.

Tensions first erupted on Monday when a demonstration in Lisbon city center ended with violent clashes between protesters and police.

The protesters had gathered to demonstrate against heavy-handed policing in Seixal, a town on the opposite side of the River Tagus to Lisbon, on Sunday night.

The protest and subsequent vandalism has fed into a broader debate about policing in Portugal.

Whether Van Dunem's appeal for calm will be heeded on Thursday night remains to be seen. But the problem is unlikely to go away any time soon.

A new protest against police aggression and inadequate social housing has been called by SOS Racismo and other groups for Friday, in front of the Seixal town hall.