Ericeira, the laid-back surf town north of Lisbon, found itself at the centre of European politics in late September, when around 100 residents staged a peaceful protest outside a hotel hosting a gathering of far-right parties from across the continent.
The three-day Patriots Academy, running from September 25 to 27, was organised by the Patriots for Europe Foundation under the banner "Defend freedom, restore sovereignty, act for Europe". It drew politicians from Austria's FPÖ, France's Rassemblement National, Spain's Vox, Italy's Lega, Hungary's Fidesz and Belgium's Vlaams Belang, plus several figures from Portugal's Chega. Chega leader André Ventura, who arrived to shouts from the crowd and later delivered the closing remarks, is a co-founder of the Patriots for Europe group formed in the European Parliament in 2024.
The counter-demonstration, held on Saturday September 26, was pitched by organisers as a grassroots effort with no party ties. Local organiser Manuel Rodrigues told the Lusa news agency it was a spontaneous initiative by residents, who carried placards reading "No place for hate in Ericeira" and chanted in both Portuguese and English. Music from the April 25 Revolution — the 1974 carnation revolution that ended Portugal's dictatorship — played a symbolic role, with demonstrators chanting "25 April forever, democracy always".
One protester, Nuno Batalha, made a point that speaks directly to Ericeira's identity as a place: the town has a large international community of expats, surfers and digital nomads, and locals wanted to show those newcomers "that these people do not represent us". Ventura, for his part, acknowledged the protesters' right to demonstrate, while questioning why no similar protest had greeted former Socialist prime minister José Sócrates on a previous visit to the same venue. He framed his party's project as a fight against corruption and what he called the "hidden powers of the State".
For travellers, the episode is a reminder that even small coastal towns can become flashpoints for big political currents. Ericeira is popular precisely because of its welcoming mix of locals and international residents, and the protest was itself a defence of that openness rather than a disturbance to it. There were no reports of violence, and visitors during the weekend would mostly have noticed placards and chanting rather than anything affecting daily life.
If you have Ericeira on your list — and the world-class waves at Ribeira d'Ilhas make a strong case — this story shouldn't put you off. It's a picture of a small town asserting its democratic credentials in front of the international press, which is arguably a good sign for anyone planning to spend time there.
