Portugal cracks down on far-right

Portuguese police said on Tuesday they had detained dozens of suspected members of a group that spread neo-Nazi propaganda and committed hate crimes against immigrants.

The 37 suspects had "extensive criminal records and links to international groups that promote hate", the judicial police said in a statement, adding that 15 people had been formally charged.

The victims were mostly immigrants from Muslim-majority countries in South Asia, according to local media.

The arrival of workers from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, has boosted Portugal's foreign-born population in recent years to around 15 per cent of the total.

At the same time, the far right has been gaining in popularity with anti-immigrant messaging. The authorities said the suspects founded a hierarchical criminal organisation to promote racial hatred and violence.

Those arrested are due in court on Wednesday, suspected of spreading "neo-Nazi ideas... to intimidate and persecute ethnic minorities, particularly immigrants".