On the 31st of July, a demonstration in solidarity with Palestine was organised by Algarve pela Palestina in Algarve, Portugal. Before the demonstration took place, the organisers had complied with the legal requirements under Decree-Law no. 406/74. This decree establishes that the organisers have to notify the demonstration and provide their generalities at least two days before the event to the district’s civil governor or to the president of the municipal council.
The personal data provided by the organisers of the demonstration was shared with 30 entities, in a violation of the General Data Protection regulation (GDPR) and contrary to requirements for the regularity and safety of a protest. The contacts that received this personal information included not only the police, but also hotels and churches.
This breach of privacy by the Algarve municipality raises serious concerns about the safety of civic society organizations. Algarve pela Palestina has already declared they will present a complaint to the National Committee for Data Protection about this episode.
13 April 2021