“The Portuguese government strongly condemns the attack on the Venezuelan consulate in Lisbon,” said a statement from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs published on the social network X.
According to Portuguese media, citing police sources, a Molotov cocktail was thrown against the facade of the consulate while it was closed, without causing bodily harm.
The Portuguese government ordered “an immediate strengthening of security and a police investigation,” the statement added, recalling that “the inviolability of diplomatic missions must be respected in all circumstances.”
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil blamed the attack on “fascism,” denouncing the use of “fire bombs” against the consulate.
The facts occur in a context of high political tension in Venezuela, shortly after socialist President Nicolas Maduro was inaugurated for a new mandate following the July elections, which the opposition claims to have won.
“Irrational attacks by unbalanced groups will not be able to reverse the progress of the Bolivarian Revolution,” added Mr. Gil, thanking “the rapid intervention of the Portuguese authorities.”
The “Bolivarian Revolution”, an expression which refers to Simon Bolivar, one of the leaders of independence in Latin America in the 19th century, is the name given by the socialist regime to its action in Venezuela since its accession to power in 1999.
