Europe is experiencing a dangerous rollback of civic freedoms, in a context where the promise of universal rights and democratic values, enshrined in the EU treaties, is being steadily eroded by interconnected economic, social, cultural, and political factors. The latest Civic Space Report, released by the Civic Space Watch, with the participation of Academia Cidadã, as member of the European Civic Forum, documented an “unprecedented and intensified attack” on civil society and civic freedoms, including restrictions on protest rights, challenges to non-profit funding, and smear campaigns. Charpter on Portugal espite maintaining its classification as having an “Open” civic space in the CIVICUS Monitor, Portugal has seen a progressive decline in the assessment of its civic freedoms. There has been no significant progress in addressing the key issues highlighted in the European Commission’s Rule of Law 2024 report and there were no recommendations on civic space. Excluded groups face worrying challenges in terms […]

Civic Space Report 2025

The main purpose of this Platform is “to defend and promote human rights and to create synergies between organizations actively working in the field of human rights in Portugal, without replacing their actions.” The PDH currently has 23 organizations from different areas of activity, spread across the mainland and islands. The defense of human rights is one of the main concerns of Academia Cidadã, especially at a time when these rights are even more threatened. We believe that this struggle, like all others, can only be fought collectively, with organization and cooperation. We hope to contribute to the development of the Platform and its current and future projects.

Academia Cidadã joined the Human Rights Platform in Portugal

In 2024, Academia Cidadã was mentioned and cited in the following news articles and publications: 2024-01, Buala: Academia Cidadã was cited in articles on combating racism and xenophobia, advocating for a refusal of silence in the face of these issues. 2024-03-08, Esquerda.net: The association signed an open letter opposing attacks on immigrants’ rights. 2024-05-20, Público: Save the Climate Platform calls for demonstration on 1 June in Portugal | European elections | PÚBLICO SmoothFM: Climate protest scheduled for 1 June in Lisbon  2024-05-20, M80: Climate protest scheduled for 1 June in Lisbon 2024-05-20, Radio Comercial: Climate protest scheduled for 1 June in Lisbon 2024-05-20, RTP / Lusa – Save the Climate Platform calls for demonstration to alert MEPs 2024-05-31, Público: Lisbon: climate march on Saturday with European elections on the horizon | European elections 2024 | PÚBLICO  2024-06-01, Observador: Around a hundred people marched in Lisbon for the climate. The demonstration […]

Academia Cidadã Mentions in the Press in 2024

Academia Cidadã issues the following right of reply, to be disseminated by the media outlets that published the aforementioned article (Sol / jornal i): It was with considerable surprise that the Associação Academia Cidadã (AC) found its name, and that of one of its projects – Linha Vermelha – mentioned in the aforementioned article. The opinion piece, masquerading as genuine journalistic work, adopted a sarcastic, accusatory, and conspiratorial tone, which naturally raises suspicions and sows confusion regarding the various informal collectives and associations it cited. Furthermore, the “journalist,” Inês Dória Nóbrega Teotónio Pereira Bourbon Ribeiro, didn’t even bother to contact our association or the project. All she needed to do was visit the Academia Cidadã website, where our contact details are readily available. To claim that Academia Cidadã acts “like an umbrella” for all the collectives mentioned is simply untrue. All the organisations cited in the “news” are entirely independent. […]

Right of Reply to the article “Portuguese Activists and the Capitalist Money that Funds Them”, published on 28 October 2024 ...

Protests banned on grounds of protecting ‘public order’ and ‘security’ The European Civic Forum, Civil Liberties Union for Europe, CIVICUS, European Network Against Racism and Solidar are calling on the European Commission to address at the highest political level the unlawful restrictions on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression imposed by member states since the dramatic escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine last year. A new analysis, published by the European Civic Forum, shows that European governments have repeatedly cracked down on individuals and organisations expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people in marches, demonstrations and cultural activities. Six months on from 7 October, people in Europe have continued to take to the streets to peacefully protest against the violence, to show solidarity with the victims and to call for the respect of human rights and international law. These protests are unfolding amid an increase in hate speech and hate crimes targeting both Jewish […]

Solidarity protests with Palestinian people banned in at least 12 EU countries, finds new analysis, six months on from the ...

Throughout the severe housing crisis, we face, which seems to have no end in sight, other problems associated with the spaces we use for living arise. When we talk about housing, we also talk about support networks, neighborhood, and community. The bonds that should naturally arise from proximity and coexistence are no longer created. The elderly do not have a support network, often being closed off in the solitude of their homes. Spaces for children, culture, and socialization are not prioritized over real estate speculation. All this is taken away from the population, destroying, or not giving the opportunity to build, community, solidarity, and security. Cultural and social spaces also suffer from the gentrification of cities, ending up unable to keep up with rent values and the consequent non-renewal of contracts. It is thanks to these spaces that meetings, conversations, and debates on different topics are possible. They welcome different […]

Without Community Spaces There Is No City: There Is Only Concrete

The reactions to the protests by Climáximo activists and the Student Climate Strike should make us reflect on the life we lead and the system that organizes us. One of the most publicized reactions is from a person who, outraged, said “I have to work to feed my children.” Considering that this is what most of the population does, anyone can easily identify with such an outburst. Does this type of reaction result from a great love for their work and the pleasure of selling their time to be able to feed their children? Or is there a hidden frustration, which affects almost all of us, due to the daily and costly life that forces us to exchange time (that could be spent with such children) for money to at least feed them? There are also reactions defending “other forms of action.” First, other forms of action have been taken […]

 Why Do We Revolt When Actvists Block Roads

Dear President of Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Dear members of the Portuguese Republic Assembly, In recent weeks, we have been perplexed witnesses to a series of disturbing incidents involving arbitrary detentions, police repression within universities, and even physical violence against climate activists. Climate activists have exercised their fundamental right to non-violent protest, enshrined in the Portuguese Constitution in Article 1. 45. The increasing police repression, with reports of prolonged detentions, intimidating tactics, and excessive use of force, not only puts at risk the physical and emotional integrity of activists. It also represents a threat to the very essence of democracy, freedom of expression, and the right to protest. It is imperative to underline that all actions undertaken by activists are non-violent and are instead directed towards collective action, with the purpose of confronting the climate crisis. Furthermore, it is important to remember that all these actions and demands […]

Open Letter Calling For An End Of Police Repression Against Climate Activists 

ERASMUS+ Project; Erasmus+ Program Key Action 1: Individual Mobility – Adult Education With this project carried out during 2022, the Citizen Academy challenged itself to: Increase the capacity of the adult education program, in order to support citizens and communities in combating climate change, social exclusion, and various forms of inequality. Integrate new pedagogical practices, particularly those that foster active citizenship. Increase the skills and knowledge of its members in: training methods that promote social entrepreneurship and community-led responses to climate change and inclusion; educational methods designed to motivate and promote pro-environmental civic initiatives; methods for developing the well-being, care, and resilience of members and groups involved in active citizenship projects and community-led projects. Create new opportunities for European cooperation, allowing the exchange of practices with other educational organizations. This project was carried out within the framework of Erasmus+ KA1 Adult education staff mobility and in partnership with Col·lectiu Eco-Actiu. […]

Erasmus+: Training Among Activists In Europe

From the 10 years of activity of the Citizen Academy, we highlight the awareness work of the projects ‘#neveragain Talks’ and ‘Citizenship Academy Panorama.'” #neveragain Talks: Every two months, on the third Tuesday, we launched a new question based on a prejudice propagated by extreme-right movements. We reflected and found strategies to dismantle discriminatory, xenophobic, and simplistic discourses. #neveragain Talks aimed to value and strengthen democracy by identifying and deconstructing antidemocratic practices and discourses. Citizenship Academy Panorama – An informative bulletin published every 15 days focusing on news, comments, films, books, images, events, and initiatives, lasting about a year. In 2022, on May 15th, the Citizen Academy celebrated its 10th anniversary and revisited all 16 activities carried out in terms of awareness, community work, networking, and mobilization. Over these ten years, the Citizen Academy engaged with 113 partners, and activities took place in various countries such as Portugal, Romania, Austria, […]

10 years of Citizenship Academy – Raising Awareness 2