Protests Erupt in Funchal Demanding Justice for Victim of Disturbing Influencer Assault

Approximately 50 individuals gathered today outside the Madeira Legislative Assembly in Funchal to show solidarity with a young girl who was assaulted by three 'influencers' in Loures, who were not detained.

The demonstrators are demanding justice for the trio of influencers who filmed themselves assaulting a 16-year-old girl and shared the video on social media.

“We demand justice. The aggressors cannot go unpunished,” stated Ana Moniz, one of the protest organizers. She expressed that it is unacceptable for the three young men to have been released.

“We are silencing the victims and freeing the aggressors,” she lamented to reporters outside the Madeira parliament, where around 50 protesters gathered, holding signs and chanting slogans.

Ana Moniz explained that the protest was initiated as a non-partisan movement, despite the presence of representatives from various political parties, after the group learned about a similar protest scheduled in Lisbon.

“We are here in solidarity not only for this young girl but for all women who are victims of sexual violence and machismo,” she emphasized.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first case, and it won’t be the last, but we are here to fight for it to end or for measures to resolve the issue,” she added.

The protesters displayed signs with messages such as “machismo kills, love is not violence,” “filming a violation is unacceptable, it should be condemned,” and “a good rapist is a jailed rapist.”

After reading a manifesto using a megaphone, the crowd chanted “a woman’s place is wherever she wants,” “united women will never be defeated,” and “not one more.”

Bernardo Margarido, one of the attendees, argued that society needs to understand that the crime of rape is heinous and must be condemned in every way.

“When we let these situations slip away, we are not only ostracizing a victim but allowing this to happen more often, exposing more victims to such situations,” the young man stressed.

Carolina Martins also joined the protest to ensure that acts of violence are no longer trivialized, stating that society is failing and “something must be done to counter this trend.”

“What shocks me the most is that, out of 32,000 views, no one was able to report it. Moreover, I’ve heard reports from teenage girls saying the victim only reported it because she wanted more. What is this?” she questioned.

The three suspects, aged between 17 and 19, were initially detained by the Judiciary Police but were released by the court, subject to periodic reporting and a prohibition on contact with the victim.

The victim had wanted to meet her TikTok idols, but the encounter ended in a filmed assault that was shared on social media.

Today's protests are also taking place in Lisbon in front of the Assembly of the Republic and in Funchal near the Madeira Legislative Assembly.