Portuguese police clear Lisbon housing protest camp, making arrests

Portuguese police cleared a housing protest camp from the centre of Lisbon in the early hours of Sunday, charging demonstrators and making several arrests, Reuters reported.

Shortly after 2 a.m., dozens of officers, some with police dogs, moved in on the camp in Rossio Square, after warning protesters to remove their tents or face their dismantling, and threatening disobedience charges for those who resisted. Minor injuries were reported, though figures were not immediately available.

Protesters had pitched more than 100 tents after Saturday’s protest march by thousands along one of the capital’s main avenues. Hundreds gathered to protect the encampment after police dismantled a similar camp there on Tuesday.

The police action was “completely disproportionate”, Left Bloc lawmaker Fabian Figueiredo said before the action, adding that there had been no public disorder. “The worst thing that could happen tonight was having this police force charge hundreds of people who are here peacefully. Why?” Figueiredo, who was at the camp, asked.

“We have an obligation to fight for what we believe in,” said one marcher, Vitor Gomes, 21, a multimedia communications student, adding that housing speculation, wealth concentration and rising inequality made him pessimistic about the future.

Portugal is grappling with one of Europe’s most acute home affordability crises, as prices have more than doubled since 2017, while rents for new leases have nearly doubled, with young people among the hardest hit. The Bank of Portugal estimates a shortfall of 300,000 homes nationwide, equivalent to Lisbon’s entire housing stock.

The protesters are demanding that the government scrap a bill to make evictions easier and end rent caps on new leases, which passed a first parliamentary reading, although the far-right Chega party abstained. The protest followed similar demonstrations in Belgium, France, Italy and Spain.

Sources: Reuters | Free Malaysia Today