Lisbon June 12, 2026 — Portugal’s Parliament has rejected Projeto de Lei 293/XVII/1, a proposal authored by the Joint Action Group against Racism and Xenophobia (GAC) to strengthen the Penal Code against racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination.
The proposal aimed to make racist and discriminatory conduct a more serious criminal offence, including cases linked to ethnic or racial origin, nationality, religion, colour, language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.
Supporters of the bill argued that the current law does not provide enough protection to victims, as many cases of racist insult or hate speech are treated only as injury offences punishable mainly by fines.
The government side, the far right and other right-wing parties voted against the proposal, meaning the wider criminalisation of racist and xenophobic conduct will not move forward at this stage.
Anti-racism groups say the decision is a setback for victims of discrimination and leaves Portugal with weaker legal tools to respond to hate speech, racism and prejudice.