Amid a wave of protests across Europe, demonstrations in Portugal over soaring housing costs have escalated into a fresh crisis, with dozens injured and 13 arrested in clashes as police dismantled protesters’ tents.
AFP reported that peaceful marches against soaring housing costs were held in the Portuguese capital Lisbon and in Porto on Saturday (31 October), with protesters later pitching tents to camp overnight.
In the early hours of Sunday (1 November), riot police with dogs forced their way into camps in Lisbon’s Rossio Square and Porto’s Dom Joao I Square, charging at protesters with batons and sparking clashes.
Protesters chanted “smells like a dictatorship”, while police accused some demonstrators of throwing bottles and paint at officers as they tried to dismantle the tents.
Police said in a statement that six people were arrested in Lisbon and seven in Porto for refusing orders to disperse.
Police said 13 officers were injured during the operation, eight of whom were taken to hospital. In Porto, three plainclothes officers monitoring protesters were attacked after being spotted by a group of people.
The statement added that the operation was conducted “with rigour, balance and respect for citizens' rights”. An unspecified number of civilians were also injured during the operation.
The activist group Acampada Lisboa said more than 30 protesters were injured, with 10 requiring hospital treatment. The group also called on people to attend another rally in Lisbon on Sunday afternoon.
Protesters are demanding that the centre-right minority government abandon plans to ease restrictions on evicting tenants and remove rent caps on new leases. They warned that the measures would push housing costs up further and leave tenants more vulnerable.
Protesters in Portugal were inspired by a similar movement in neighbouring Spain. Protest camps have sprung up across Lisbon and Porto in recent weeks, with police repeatedly moving to dismantle them.
