The PJ monitored the neonazi festival that took place in Póvoa de Varzim and identified many of the participants. Some of them, for example, were convicted in Germany and were forbidden to leave the country to participate in radical events.
© Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images
06/11/2026
by
A Public Security Police (PSP) may not have been there, but the Judiciary Police (PJ) was watching the neonazi festival that took place last weekend in Póvoa de Varzim. So much so that he detected German “Masters of the Sea” banned from leaving the country to participate in radical events.
According to News Journal (JN), the Portuguese authorities kept an eye on the festival promoted by Blood&Honour and managed to identify many of the participants.
Among the radical festival leaders were, for example, Germans already convicted of hate crimes in the country of origin and forbidden to travel to other countries to participate in events connoted with the far right.
Despite the presence of the condemned Germans, PJ did not record violent episodes involving these extremists in Portugal while the festival was taking place.
In fact, participants in the festival, according to a source linked to the monitoring of radical movements, even avoid confrontations during this time so that the event “continues to take place smoothly”.
Other countries have already banned similar meetings and the organization does not want to run the risk that this will happen in Portugal.
“International projection”
The same source reminded JN that “Masters of the Sea” is “gaining international projection”. And that's proven.
Last year the festival, which took place in the parish hall of Silva Escura, Maia, had about 50 participants. This year, the number has increased considerably. There were about 300 radical festivalmakers who attended the Association of the Matrix in Póvoa de Varzim during the 30th and 31st October and paid 50 euros a day to see bands like Skumshot, Greece, Mr Obled, Poland or the Portuguese Lusitanian Legion.
Wrong association and locality with fake birthday party
The festival participants only know where it takes place on the eve of the event. This year, the organization reserved the Association Hall of the Matrix, in Póvoa de Varzim, for 100 euros, claiming it was for a “birthday party”.
The association did not suspect what would happen when it rented the space and the municipality also not when it passed the noise license.
When they realized it was a neonazi festival it was too late. Both the association and the municipality tried to stop the event in that space but no longer succeeded.
Who are Blood & Honor?
The event is organized by Blood & Honor Portugal, national branch of an international neonazi network founded in 1987 in the UK, by musician Ian Stuart Donaldson and Nicky Crane.
The name of the organization is inspired by the slogan of the Hitler Youth. Over the years, the group has been subject to restrictive measures in several countries. It was banned from Spain, Germany, Russia and Canada and was even included on the list of terrorist entities.
In January last year, the United Kingdom banned funding from the neonazi group which is considered to be the most violent in the world.
In Portugal, the structure was founded in 1998. Some of the elements would have been involved in the murder of Alcindo Monteiro.