Despite what all interpreted last week as heartwarming news from Lisbon’s Supreme Court, controversial agency Polis Litoral Ria Formosa is reported as claiming everyone got it wrong.
According to Sunday’s Correio da Manhã, the Supreme Court’s acceptance of an appeal by islanders to stop the demolitions cannot actually stop Polis.
It does not have the “suspensive effect” that islanders seemed certain it had.
The paper stresses that Polis could still go ahead and “take possession of homes” within Farol and Hangares communities – though whether they will remains to be seen.
As the SOS Ria Formosa Facebook page warned within hours of the story hitting news stands: “Come on over”.
Islanders have no intention of standing by and letting Polis limber up with the demolition ball without a major high-profile fight, as they have consistently vowed.
“The persecution of the islanders continues,” said the campaign’s Facebook post.
“Dom Sebastião (the islanders name for Polis’ demolition man president Sebastião Teixeira) seems to continue to do whatever he wants, while the environment ministry remains silent.”
With the Algarve’s PS and Left Bloc MPs doing everything they can to stop Polis’ plans – and every regional mayor against the demolitions – pressure this week will be to get a definitive decision from the government.
This is something minister of the sea Ana Paula Vitorino claimed would be “coming any day now” almost two weeks ago.
At the very least, the story that Sebastião Teixeira could remain set on flattening islanders’ homes should “open the government’s eyes to ensure this terrorist is removed from Polis’ leadership”, commented SOS campaigner Vanessa Morgado.
Photo: Islanders wearing ‘Je Suis Ilhéu’ T-shirts protesting against the Ria Formosa demolition plans.
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