Portugal housing protests continue after police clear camps

Thousands of people rallied in Lisbon, Porto and other Portuguese cities on Tuesday evening, hours after police dismantled protest camps and arrested a total of 55 demonstrators.

The protesters vowed to continue their campaign against Portugal's deepening housing crisis, which has made buying or renting a home increasingly unaffordable.

Organizers said more than 1,000 people gathered in each of the two main protest locations, although police did not provide crowd estimates. 

In Lisbon's central Rossio square, demonstrators voted by a show of hands to re-establish their tent camp on Wednesday.

Police moves to shut down protest camps

Police launched coordinated operations in Lisbon and Porto shortly before 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Tuesday, after warning protesters that their camps were illegal.

Activists had occupied Lisbon's Rossio square since Saturday, setting up around 200 tents. In Porto, protesters had camped in Dom Joao I square for about 10 days.

Authorities seized 228 camping structures during the operation.

In Porto, demonstrators dismantled their tents themselves after police threatened to intervene. In Lisbon, officers cleared the square as protesters formed a human chain.

Clashes subsequently broke out, according to footage broadcast by local television stations.

Carla Valadao, a spokesperson for the Lisbon camp, described the operation as "very aggressive."

However, Public Security Police superintendent Sergio Soares disputed that account, saying the eviction had been "calm, proportionate and appropriate, with no police charge."

All 55 people arrested were later released pending a court appearance in Lisbon on Wednesday.

Why are people protesting in Portugal?

Portugal is struggling with one of Europe's worst housing affordability crises.

Property purchase prices have more than doubled since 2017, while rents for new leases have nearly doubled over the same period.

The problem is particularly severe in major cities such as Lisbon and Porto, where residents have also protested against excessive tourism and an influx of so-called digital nomads.

Demonstrators accuse the center-right government of failing to address the crisis.

They are demanding the withdrawal of a bill that would make evictions easier and end rent caps on new leases. The proposed legislation has already passed its first parliamentary reading.

Debora Miranda, a 41-year-old communications consultant, told Reuters she  joined the Lisbon demonstration to represent generations struggling with rising housing costs.

"If people don't feel at home, in every sense of the word, they can't move forward with their lives...enough is enough."

Jorge Paixao, a 19-year-old history student, described the situation as "a societal crisis."

He said his generation needed "the ability to live with dignity, start families and rejuvenate Portugal."

Portugal housing protest takes place amid demos around Europe

The demonstrations come amid growing anger over housing affordability and living costs across several European countries.

Protesters in Portugal have sought to align their movement with similar demonstrations in neighboring Spain.

In Madrid, activists maintain a tent camp to call for stronger action to tackle the housing crisis. The crisis was sparked by the eviction ofMaria del Carmen Abascal  from her  home.

The nearly four weeks of protests in Spain have contributed to political turmoil, leading to a snap general election being called for November 29.

Meanwhile, demonstrations over rising living costs have also taken place in France, Belgium and Italy.

Violence that erupted in France over the weekend on the sidelines of otherwise peaceful protests has raised concerns that similar unrest could spread to other countries facing comparable economic pressures.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar

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