‘A house cannot be a privilege’: Thousands rally in Lisbon over housing crisis

Thousands protested in Lisbon’s Rossio square over housing costs after police removed a camp, and voted to return the next day to camp out again.

Thousands of people gathered in Rossio square in Lisbon on Tuesday to demand affordable housing.

They chanted, lit flares and held up keys and signs, one of which read ‘a house cannot be a privilege’. Similar demonstrations took place in other Portuguese cities.

Earlier in the day, police forcibly cleared the camp that demonstrators had set up in the square. The crowd called a new gathering, and many came back that evening.

At a public assembly, they voted to return the next day and pitch their tents again.

They are also against recent government plans to ease the cap on yearly rent rises and to make evictions easier for tenants who fail to pay.

The prime minister says the changes will build trust between landlords and renters. Critics say they leave tenants more exposed.