Calado - the head of the government body tasked with promoting integration, and dealing with racial discrimination - points to the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX). This global study ranks countries according to how successfully they integrate migrants. Portugal currently comes second, behind Sweden.
Portugal's defenders also point out that it hasn't had riots like London or Paris, and that there's little anti-immigrant political rhetoric in Portugal.
"I have this clear perception that what happened in Cova da Moura is not the general situation of the country. This was an exception," says Calado.
He also oversees Portugal's Commission for Equality and Against Racial Discrimination, which handles racial discrimination complaints.
"We don't have many complaints," he says as he shows me a report containing the data. It indicates that from 2005-13, there were 75 complaints against the security forces.
Photo credits: BBC
