Web Summit cancels Lisbon events as Portugal issues state of alert, Digi Mart USA News (Lisbon, Portugal): Web Summit, the Irish-founded technology conference that has brought some 70,000 people to Lisbon this week, has cancelled its events scheduled for Wednesday as Portugal is placed under a “state of alert” in advance of extreme weather conditions.
The company confirmed the decision shortly after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, following hours of speculation prompted by the mayor of Lisbon saying “everything indicates that Web Summit will not be able to function tomorrow.” An hour earlier, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said in a press conference that his office had “already issued our recommendation that the event’s activities be suspended for tomorrow.”
Montenegro said the recommendation was made “for various reasons,” including “the fact that many participants are foreigners who do not have the same familiarity with emergency procedures that citizens residing in our territory naturally have.” He added, “The decision rests with them. In any case, I believe that with common sense, a sense of consideration and responsibility, no one will unnecessarily expose citizens, whether national or foreign, to situations of greater risk.”
In an email to ticket holders sent at 7:38 p.m., the company said: “Web Summit will of course respect the Government’s direction, and accordingly, Day 2 will not take place.” It said its “safety and security of our attendees, staff and contractors is always our absolute priority,” and that it “aims to proceed with Day 3 as planned, following the passing of Storm Charles.” The company said it would continue working with authorities and provide updates as confirmed information became available.
All of Portugal has been placed under an amber warning for rainfall, and the southern half of the country, including Lisbon, is under a red warning for wind, issued Tuesday by the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, the country’s weather authority. The country is experiencing two storms, Bruna and Charles, at once, with two days of overlap.
The agency has forecast “periods of heavy rain and strong winds” that could “reach 120km/h and exceed 150km/h.”
Schools across the country will be closed for the day, and the national government will place citizens on the Iberian mainland under a 24-hour “state of alert” that mandates the suspension of outdoor events and restrictions on movement. Web Summit organizers have also had to cancel a number of high-profile guests scheduled to speak on Wednesday, including former Irish president and founding member of The Elders Mary Robinson.
An anti-Web Summit protest planned for Wednesday evening by a coalition of Lisbon housing activists has also been cancelled. The conference, founded by businessman Paddy Cosgrave, has drawn controversy in Lisbon, as its opening ceremony coincided with the end of a housing rights encampment on one of the capital’s most prominent plazas.
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas had ordered about 200 protesters to leave Rossio Square to make room for a Christmas market. The dispute went through the judicial system, but demonstrators called off the action Monday night, saying they must “enlarge the movement” and “go elsewhere.”
