Portuguese police on Sunday dismantled protest camps over housing in the capital Lisbon and in Porto, after marches by thousands of demonstrators against a new bill on rents. At around 4:30 a.m. local time, dozens of officers moved in to take down the camps in Rossio Square in Lisbon and Dom Joao I Square in Porto, where participants had set up tents after Saturday’s peaceful marches against high housing costs.
During the operation, police used shields and batons to disperse protesters, while stating that some demonstrators threw bottles and paint at officers. Thirteen people were arrested, six in Lisbon and seven in Porto, for refusing orders to disperse, according to a police statement. The statement also noted that 13 police officers were injured while attempting to take down the camps, eight of whom were taken to hospital. An unspecified number of civilians were also injured.
Meanwhile, a lawyer representing those detained in Porto described the police response as disproportionate, arguing that both the scale of the operation and the actions taken were excessive. The activist group “Acampada Lisboa” reported that more than 30 protesters were injured, including 10 who sought hospital treatment. The group called for a new rally against the police operation in the capital on Sunday afternoon, declaring: “We will not be silent.”
Hours before the eviction, more than 1,000 people marched through central Lisbon to protest the deepening housing crisis in Portugal. Demonstrators are calling on the centre-right minority government to abandon plans that would ease evictions and end rent caps for new contracts. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has ruled out withdrawing the bill, although he has acknowledged that amendments may be made before the final vote. Portugal is facing one of the most severe housing crises in Europe, with house prices having doubled since 2017.
Source: Deutsche Welle