The most striking footage emerging from clashes between fans and police was captured on Sunday afternoon when an officer attacked a fan in front of his children in what appeared to be an unprovoked incident. In the footage, taken outside the Dom Afonso Henriques Stadium in Guimarães, Deputy PSP Police Commissioner Filipe Silva is seen lashing out at José Magalhães with his baton before striking his elderly father.
These images have made it on to front pages of most mainstream media, and remain on popular news sites such as the BBC and the Guardian, while Spanish and Brazilian media have given the story enormous prominence.
The incident happened after José Magalhães decided to leave the stadium early, explaining later he was concerned for the welfare of his two sons.
According to Magalhães, the officer in question first lambasted him for taking his children to the football match, before striking out at him.
One officer, named as Ernesto Pino, immediately removes José Magalhães’ hysterical and crying nine-year old son Gonçalo from the scene, shielding the boy from the ensuing violent beating to which his father is being subjected. Another police officer also moves in to calm down the boy’s older brother, Tomás (13), as Magalhães is arrested.
He has been charged with civil disobedience, while he has also lodged a counter charge for being beaten without justification.
Initial reports from police suggest that the attack was the result of Deputy Commissioner Filipe Silva being spat at by Magalhães, but the footage, which has gone viral on social media, is unclear. This claim has also been strongly denied by Magalhães.
Following the unsavoury scenes which have been given prominence by press the world over, Benfica President Luis Filipe Vieira invited the two Magalhães boys to attend the club’s final game of the season at the Luz Stadium.
They have also accepted an invitation to accompany the Benfica president on to the pitch to present players with the most coveted silverware within Portugal’s borders.
Following the release of these images, the Unified Police Union leader Peixoto Rodrigues, criticised the manner in which Deputy Commissioner Silva handled himself.
“The proportionality of the means used is disproportional. I think that taking into consideration the footage, there is nothing that justifies the excessive force”, explained the police union leader.
But despite the events on Sunday, Filipe Silva remains on duty and has been tasked with investigating a robbery from a warehouse at the Dom Afonso Henriques Stadium during Sunday’s game between Guimarães and Benfica.
Once again, extensive footage has emerged on social media showing fans helping themselves to sporting goods from the warehouse with online shopping sites flooded with ‘brand new’ Vitoria de Guimarães team shirts and other items.
However, it has also since emerged that the warehouse was under Deputy Commissioner Silva’s watch, and that it is likely that the ransack took place while José Magalhães was being subdued by police outside the stadium.
Police forces came under even further scrutiny on Thursday morning when a freelance photographer posted images of an officer hurling a bottle at Benfica supporters lighting a flare during celebrations in downtown Lisbon during the early hours of Monday morning.
The image appears to show an officer with a baton in one hand taking the unprecedented course of action with the fans seemingly oblivious of the officer’s intentions.
Minister of Home Affairs Anabela Rodrigues has since come out and pleaded for calm and restraint, while authorities conduct their respective inquests into the events in the wake of Benfica’s league championship victory.
She said that two separate inquiries have been opened with the expectations that their findings will be made public before the end of June.