Play cancelled and actor hospitalised after attack in Lisbon

Actor Adérito Lopes was attacked this Tuesday in Lisbon, in an attack that led to the cancellation of a session of the play 'Love is a fire that burns without being seen', a show by A Barraca at the Cinearte Theater, confirmed actress and director Maria do Céu Guerra.

Speaking to RTP3, Maria do Céu Guerra said that the attack was carried out by "a group of people who were coming from a demonstration in Martim Moniz".

"There were about 30 of them, they started by provoking an actress, who was wearing a shirt with a star on it, and who was wearing headphones and, therefore, didn't even hear what they were saying (...) Suddenly, they tried to attack one of the actors. Then, Adérito Lopes arrived, who was getting ready an hour before the show, and was violently attacked", he said.

"He is not well," he added, adding that the actor, who suffered an injured eye and a large cut on his face, is at the Hospital de São José, where he is undergoing several tests.

According to the company's director and director, the attack was motivated by "political motivations". The group left a piece of paper that read: "Remigration. Portugal for the 'Portuguese'", associated with the ultra-nationalist group Reconquista. They also shouted phrases such as "defend your blood".

Speaking to Lusa, the actress explained that it all started around 8pm, when the actors were arriving at Cinearte, in Largo de Santos, and came across "a group of neo-Nazis with posters, programmes" with several xenophobic phrases at the door.

After the attack, the suspects "fled" and at least one person was reportedly detained by the Public Security Police (PSP). Notícias ao Minuto contacted the security force, which refused to provide any information for now.

The show 'Love is a fire that burns without being seen' was scheduled to have its last performance, of a set of six, at 9:00 pm. Entry was free and the room was full. However, it ended up not happening.

Maria do Céu Guerra also recalled that today marks 30 years since the attack by neo-Nazis that killed Alcindo Monteiro: "30 years later, this country still hasn't found a way to defend itself from the Nazis", she told Lusa.

"It's terrible. And I have the cast here, 14 actors, all fearing they'll be leaving the theater. And they want to talk, give their opinion, they want to say what they feel about this and the protection they deserve," said the actress.

'Love is a fire that burns without being seen' is about the life and work of Luís Vaz de Camões, in the context of the fifth centenary of the poet's birth. It is directed by Hélder Mateus da Costa and Maria do Céu Guerra.

The cast of the play is made up of Adérito Lopes, Beatriz Dinis e Silva, Erica Galiza, Gil Filipe, Luis Ilunga, Maria do Céu Guerra, Manuel Petiz, Rita Mendes Nunes, Samuel Moura, Sérgio Moras, Teresa Mello Sampayo, Vasco Lello and Maria Baltazar.

[News updated at 11:24 pm]

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