Alert dated 27 July 2026
Portugal: two political cartoonists who are members of Cartooning for Peace targeted in a list drawn up by a far-right armed movement
It was through the press that the cartoonists Cristina and André Carrilho, members of Cartooning for Peace, discovered their names on a list of individuals and organisations designated as ‘targets’ and ‘threats’ to the country, drawn up by the Movimento Armilar Lusitano (MAL), a far-right armed movement in Portugal.
On Wednesday 17 June 2026, nine members of the Movimento Armilar Lusitano (MAL) were charged, notably with “crimes linked to a terrorist group”. Three of the accused were remanded in custody. According to the indictment, the accused – the movement’s founder and leader, as well as its members – “sought to subvert the democratic system, impose an authoritarian model and resort to violence to achieve their ideological objectives”.
Founded in 2018, the MAL is described by the public prosecutor’s office as a “far-right, nationalist, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, anti-establishment, conspiracy-theory-promoting and accelerationist” movement. The list it compiled includes, in particular, the names of political figures, academics and journalists.
According to information provided by the Attorney General, the defendants gathered and categorised information concerning political figures, parties, civic movements, journalists, commentators, academics, artists, activists and organisations linked to causes such as immigration, anti-racism, anti-fascism, diversity, social inclusion and minority rights. Their aim was to carry out terrorist acts against the identified targets.
Cartooning for Peace, Cartoonists Rights and the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation express their deep concern at the existence of such a list in a European democratic country and strongly condemn the targeting of these two cartoonists, which has exposed them to the risk of a terrorist attack.
Sources:
