Portuguese police on Sunday cleared out protest camps in Lisbon and Porto after thousands of demonstrators marched against a controversial rental bill. The early morning raids followed peaceful protests on Saturday over soaring housing costs across the country.
Police Clashes and Arrests
At around 4:30 a.m. local time, dozens of officers moved in to dismantle camps in Lisbon’s Rossio Square and Porto’s Dom Joao I Square. Officers used shields and batons to disperse the demonstrators, stating that some individuals threw bottles and paint at officers during the operation.
According to a police statement, six people were arrested in Lisbon and seven in Porto for refusing orders to disperse. The statement added that 13 police officers sustained injuries while taking down the camps, with eight requiring hospital treatment, alongside an unspecified number of injured civilians.
Legal representation for those detained in Porto criticized the police response as disproportionate, arguing that the operation’s scale and actions were excessive. Meanwhile, the activist group Acampada Lisboa reported that more than 30 protesters were injured, with 10 needing hospital care.
The group announced a fresh rally in the capital for Sunday afternoon to protest the police action. “We will not be silenced,” the group stated on social media.
Housing Crisis Background
The evictions took place hours after more than 1,000 people marched through central Lisbon to protest the country’s severe housing shortage and affordability crisis. Demonstrators are demanding that the minority center-right government abandon legislative plans designed to make evictions easier and remove rent caps on new leases.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has refused to withdraw the proposed legislation entirely, though he has indicated that changes could be introduced before the final vote. Portugal continues to grapple with one of the most intense housing crises in Europe, marked by property prices more than doubling since 2017.
Demonstrators gathered for a new rally in the capital on Sunday afternoon following the police intervention.
