Thousands in the cities of Lisbon, Porto, and other cities in Portugal continued their protests on Tuesday evening. These protests came just hours after the police cleared the protest camps and arrested 55 demonstrators.
Continuing Protests Against the Housing Crisis
The protesters emphasized their ongoing campaign against the deep housing crisis in Portugal. This crisis has made buying or renting a home increasingly unbearable. Organizers of the protests announced that over 1,000 people gathered at each of the two main locations, although the police did not provide estimates of the crowd size.
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Police Measures and Protester Reactions
The police launched coordinated operations in Lisbon and Porto simultaneously, warning protesters early in the morning about the illegality of their camps. Protesters had been camped out in the central Rossio square in Lisbon since Saturday, setting up around 200 tents. In Porto, protesters had been camped in João I square for about 10 days.
During the clearing operation, the police seized 228 camp structures. In Porto, protesters dismantled their tents themselves, while in Lisbon, police officers cleared the square, and protesters formed a human chain. Following these events, clashes occurred, with footage shown by local television stations.
Carla Valadeo, a spokesperson for the Lisbon camp, described the operation as "very aggressive." However, the head of public security police, Sergio Soares, rejected these statements, stating that the evacuation was carried out "calmly, proportionately, and appropriately" and that there was no attack by the police. All 55 arrested individuals were later released on bail.
Portugal is facing one of the worst housing affordability crises in Europe. Property prices have more than doubled since 2017, and new rents have nearly doubled in the same period. This issue is particularly severe in large cities like Lisbon and Porto, where residents have also protested against excessive tourism and the influx of "digital nomads."
Protesters accuse the center-right government of failing to address this crisis. They are calling for the repeal of a bill that makes evictions easier and ends rent restrictions on new contracts. This bill has already passed its first parliamentary vote.
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