Blue Flag Beaches & Marginalised Slums

international | environment | other press

Saturday June 11, 2005 12:57

by iosaf

Carcavelos beach is just outside of Lisbon the capital of Portugal, where the EU deal on good times for poor people was made.

Yesterday during the national holiday, Carcavelos beach filled up with happy Lisbonites relaxing from the worst inflation in the EU, and probably rubbing shoulders with the cheery types who fly in from the north and buy flats in the picturesque city to recover from the strain of being on the pigs back.

This is modern tourism.

I hope you packed your protection, it can get quite hot.

Of the 3000 blue flag beaches in Europe, not all are sunny. Ireland has a lot, but it pisses rain. Catalonia has the most blue flag beaches of any region in all of Europe, but I'm ungrateful coz I prefer the mountains.

Anyway...

Last year, rioting in the poorest areas of Lisbon saw the police sent in for a couple of days. And this year the "return ruck" occured on the beach of Carcavelos, as maurading vikings & barbarians, sorry, thuggish slum kids numbering over 500 went to the beach and robbed everyone.

The mayor of Cascais, Mr Antonio Capucho (funny surname etymologically means hood) assured journalists and travel agents that the kids came from "marginalised Lisbon suburbs".

They fought with both regular Portuguese and Marine police till sundown.

Blue Flag results 2005
http://www.blueflag.org/%7B587621B6-1148-4B15-A430-DA286B134376%7D

BBC Coverage (english) : -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4083030.stm
Spanish coverage (spanish) :-
http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/medio_millar_jovenes_siembran_panico_346652.htm

Local Indymedia Coverage (portuguese)
http://pt.indymedia.org/ler.php?numero=60483&cidade=1

The town site:-
http://www.jf-carcavelos.pt/