March for Life in Lisbon attacked with an explosive device

A man has been arrested by police in connection to an attack on the March for Life in Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday when an improvised explosive device was thrown into a crowd of attendees.

According to a statement by the Public Security Police (PSP), at the time of the attack around 500 people were gathered outside the Assembly of the Republic in the Portuguese capital, and several minors were present, including babies.

After the attack, which fortunately wasn’t fatal as the device didn’t go off, several individuals “of anarchist affiliations” fled the scene.

“The suspect approached the area where the demonstrators were gathered and threw an improvised incendiary device of the ‘Molotov cocktail’ type, containing gasoline, in the direction of those present. The device hit the ground but did not ignite, thereby avoiding potentially more serious consequences,” a PSP statement said.

“The suspect was immediately intercepted at the scene, allowing for a swift police response by the PSP and his subsequent arrest. Several individuals who were allegedly part of a group with anarchist affiliations fled the scene; three members were later identified,” the statement added.

Portugal’s Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, took to social media to condemn the attack. “We do not tolerate any form of violent extremism and will continue to act firmly to prevent and combat it, guaranteeing the security of democratic values,” he said.

The Patriarch of Lisbon, Archbishop Rui Valério, released a statement saying the attack was “absolutely unacceptable.”

“Violence is never the answer. It does not build, it does not dignify, it does not serve the truth. And it becomes even more painful when it threatens the most vulnerable, especially children, who should always be a beacon of hope and never exposed to fear,” he said.

“The March for Life stems precisely from the conviction that all human life is an inviolable gift, from conception to natural death. Therefore, any act of violence, especially against a peaceful demonstration, must be clearly condemned,” he added.

A “terrorist act”

The Portuguese Federation for Life, responsible for organizing the march, released a press release on Monday calling the attack a “terrorist act” and asking for all those involved to be thoroughly investigated.

Further, the statement said that the fuel used in the device soaked several people, including two babies.

“Had the device ignited, we would today be speaking of the deaths of children and babies. However, the failure of the attack must not obscure the fact that a political organization planned and attempted to carry out an attack with an incendiary device against a public event full of families, young people, and children,” the statement said.

The federation called for the “attack to be treated by the authorities as the act of terrorism that it is, and for all those involved to be investigated.”

“The Federation will request a meeting with the Minister of Internal Administration and, in due course, with the Attorney General. It will also seek to participate as an interested party in the judicial proceedings that follow,” the federation added.

Pope Leo’s message

The March for Life in Portugal took place in twelve cities on Saturday, including Porto, Braga and Faro.

Pope Leo XIV sent a message to participants, calling the family the “natural guardian of life” and encouraged married couples to “welcome God’s love and allow it to bear fruit.”

The pope said that “mere declarations of good intentions, and least of all, illusory forms of compassion such as euthanasia and, ultimately, abortion, do not serve the development of our societies.”

For 2026, the March for Life in Portugal had the motto of “the pro-life people take to the streets” and aimed to highlight “the dignity of all human beings, for life from the moment of conception until natural death.”