On 11 June 2020 in Lisbon, 4 days after the anti-racism demonstrations that took place in several Portuguese cities following the killing of George Floyd, the statue of the Priest António Vieira (1608–1697) was splattered with red spots and inscribed with the word ‘decolonise’. Considering Portugal’s prominent role in the transatlantic slave trade, the country’s enduring celebration of the ‘Discoveries’¹ and the ever-present urban memorialization of the colonial past, it was to be expected that Portugal would be included among the countries in which there are increasing calls for the removal of symbols associated with colonialism and slavery. However, in a country where statues of key figures of Portuguese colonization, and monuments honouring the veterans of the Colonial War² are so abundant, it may not be obvious why activists focused their attention specifically on someone who, at first sight, appears to be a minor actor in Portuguese colonial projects. The formal inscription on Viera’s statue – ‘Jesuit, Preacher, Priest, Politician, Diplomat, Defender of the Indians³ and Human Rights, Fighter Against the Inquisition’ – though containing inaccuracies, hints at the complexity of the priest’s life, namely the dimensions that make him such a controversial figure.

中文翻译：

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一位牧师和葡萄牙殖民主义的遗产

2020年6月11日，在里斯本，在乔治·弗洛伊德（George Floyd）遇害后在几个葡萄牙城市举行的反种族主义示威活动的四天后，圣安东尼奥·维埃拉（1608–1697）牧师的雕像上散布着红色斑点，并在上面刻有“ decolonise”一词。考虑到葡萄牙在跨大西洋奴隶贸易中的突出作用，该国对“发现” ¹的持久庆祝以及对殖民地历史的不断纪念，预计葡萄牙将被包括在这一国家中呼吁删除与殖民主义和奴隶制有关的符号。然而，在这个国家，葡萄牙殖民时期的主要人物雕像和纪念殖民地战争²退伍军人的纪念碑如此丰富，所以为什么活动家将注意力集中在乍看之下似乎是葡萄牙殖民计划中的次要角色的人上可能并不明显。Viera雕像上的正式题词-“耶稣会士，传教士，牧师，政客，外交官，印第安人捍卫者³和人权，宗教裁判所的战斗机”-尽管包含错误，但暗示着牧师生活的复杂性，即使他成为一个有争议的人物。