It’s possible not to like the Portuguese and still admit one thing: in this specific matter, they’re right. The Portuguese state and government opened the doors to thousands of immigrants with no plan, no cultural vetting, and no real strategy for integration. The result is no longer limited to Lisbon — it’s spread across the entire country. These problems are now visible in cities like Braga, Faro, Coimbra, Setúbal, and Gaia, as well as in traditionally quiet neighborhoods such as Alvalade, Campo de Ourique, and Benfica — areas that, until a few years ago, had never dealt with this kind of social impact. It’s not fair to reduce the issue to the capital; communities from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, and several African countries have spread across the country, bringing with them habits, behaviors, and lifestyles that, in many cases, clash with Portuguese urban norms and social values.
Let’s get to the facts. Yes, many immigrants from these countries do work — but they also bring practices that don’t fit urban Portuguese life when done in large numbers and without integration. They live 14–20 per house; cook with windows closed, spreading curry and oil smells through hallways and walls; wash themselves with buckets on balconies; hang clothes everywhere; drape sheets and rags out the windows; pile up trash on balconies; bathe and wash clothes in stairwells; let water run into common areas; and use shared spaces as if they were private. These situations repeat themselves across neighborhoods all over the country, not just in Lisbon.
Social behaviors that irritate and cause conflict:
Picking your nose in public; scratching your genitals in front of everyone; spitting on the ground; blowing your nose loudly and forcefully in closed spaces like buses, trains, cafés, or elevators — often without a tissue, leaving visible mucus and disgusting sounds, showing no sense of hygiene or respect for others; poor personal hygiene: not wearing deodorant, wearing the same clothes for days, strong body odor in public transport and elevators; washing dishes or handling food in dirty, unsanitary conditions; eating on the street and leaving food scraps and grease wherever they go; urinating in streets, building entrances, garages, and corners; defecating or leaving feces in isolated public areas; not washing their ass or wiping with toilet paper after taking a shit, leaving toilets in a revolting state; talking loudly in groups nonstop; shouting outside buildings; house parties with loud music late into the night; playing loud music on subways, trains, or public transport without headphones, forcing everyone to hear it; cooking with open flames in unsafe places, filling neighbors’ homes with smoke and grease; selling food at stands without any sanitary conditions; handling food with bare hands and zero hygiene; washing clothes or bathing in common areas, leaving water and soap in hallways and stairs, causing dampness, mold, and decay; piling up trash inside or in front of doors; leaving garbage bags out at the wrong time, attracting cockroaches and rats; using public spaces as dumps for furniture, household junk, or construction debris; making barbecues or fires on balconies and rooftops, filling the air with smoke and bothering neighbors; using gardens and parks to wash clothes or bathe with buckets; forming groups on stairways, entrances, or public squares that block passage and intimidate others; sleeping on balconies, stairways, or shared areas due to lack of space inside; carrying raw meat or fish in open bags on public transport; neglecting children — letting them scream, make a mess, and break things; turning storage rooms, garages, or technical areas into illegal sleeping spaces; turning residential apartments into makeshift temples or prayer spaces, creating noise and smells; using elevators or building halls as eating or gathering spots; refusing to pay condo fees or follow shared building rules; installing cameras in common areas without permission, sparking conflict with neighbors; refusing to learn Portuguese or English; avoiding all interaction with neighbors and running businesses only in their own language; and — most critically — harassing and coercing women in public: persistent approaches, stalking, sexual comments, unwanted touching, attempts to force physical contact, or following women walking alone — including reports from ride services like Uber, where drivers have behaved in invasive and predatory ways. All of this comes with a constant attitude of disrespect for the most basic rules of living in society.
African immigrants, in turn, often replicate many of these same patterns in urban and suburban areas: overcrowded homes; loud parties at any hour; irregular use of spaces; children wandering without supervision; theft and behavior showing no respect for shared spaces — dirty stairways and elevators, urine in the entrances, piles of trash, and informal street vending under poor conditions. In many cases, the problem is also economic: lack of stable income, informal work, and precarious housing that make proper upkeep impossible and normalize uncivil behavior.
The blame? First, on the State and the Government, for allowing mass entry and legalization without clear requirements for integration or oversight. Second, on landlords and middlemen who profit from subletting and overcrowding. Third, on immigrant groups from those countries who make no real effort to adapt to basic urban coexistence standards. Pointing out recurring behaviors that harm quality of life isn’t racism — it’s addressing practical problems.
Portugal isn’t neutral ground. If the incoming community doesn’t respect the space it occupies, the result is decay, falling property values, infestations, constant noise, and the legitimate resentment of local residents. Demanding clear rules isn’t xenophobia — it’s asking that anyone who lives here follow basic standards of civility. The Portuguese are right to complain about these issues. The practical question is simple: will the Portuguese demand real solutions, or let accusations of “racism” — coming from those who reject rules — silence them and allow everything to keep getting worse?
October 2025
This article is in English. Read the Portuguese version ⇒ Ler em português