Cartooning for Peace has published a note in which he recounts that the Portuguese cartoonists Cristina Sampaio and André Carrilho, members of this group learnt from the press that their names appear on a list of individuals and organisations identified as ‘targets’ and ‘threats’ to the country, drawn up by the Movimento Armilar Lusitano (MAL), a far-right, neo-Nazi armed group from Portugal.
On Wednesday 17 June 2026, nine members of the Movimento Armilar Lusitano (MAL) were charged with “offences relating to a terrorist group”. Three of the accused were remanded in custody. According to the court order, the accused — the movement’s founder and leader, as well as its members — “sought to subvert the democratic system, impose an authoritarian model and resort to violence to achieve their ideological objectives”.
Founded in 2018, the MAL is described by the Public Prosecutor’s Office as a “far-right, nationalist, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, anti-establishment, conspiracy theory-promoting and accelerationist” movement; it drew up a list containing the names of political figures, academics and journalists.
"Pressure Cooker" by André Carrilho, an illustration published in 2014 in DN, Diario de Notícias (Portugal)
With information provided by the Attorney General, the defendants compiled and categorised information on political figures, parties, civic movements, journalists, commentators, academics, artists, activists and organisations linked to causes such as immigration, the fight against racism, anti-fascism, diversity, social inclusion and minority rights. Their aim was to carry out terrorist acts against the identified targets.
The organisations “Cartooning for Peace”, “Cartoonists Rights” and the “Freedom Cartoonists Foundation” express their deep concern at the existence of such a list in a democratic European country and strongly condemn the fact that these two cartoonists have been singled out, thereby exposing them to the risk of a terrorist attack.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office, through the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Prosecution, has issued an indictment against nine defendants as part of an investigation into the ‘MAL’ group, from whom a large quantity of military equipment was seized, for offences relating to a terrorist group (formation of, leadership of, and membership of a terrorist group), terrorism offences relating to the manufacture and possession of weapons, ammunition and explosives, as well as the acquisition, receipt and training for terrorist activities.
MAL, with its organised structure and presence on digital platforms, promoted the rejection of multicultural societies, the supposed superiority of certain ethnic and ideological groups, and hostility towards immigrants, refugees, Black people, Jewish people, Roma people, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, Muslims, activists, government officials, political parties, journalists, artists and civil society organisations.
On the list names such as that of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the country’s president between 2016 y 2026, António Costa, the current President of the European Council, the journalist and writer Miguel Sousa Tavares or the journalist from the Diario de Noticias (DN) Amanda Lima and also various organisations involved in causes such as immigration, the fight against racism, the fight against fascism, diversity, social inclusion and minority rights.
Humour in Trouble: A Collection of Case Studies
Cases of cartoonists who have faced significant problems because of their satirical cartoons or illustrations. There are also some stories of other people who, although not cartoonists, have got into trouble for sharing them.
