Police storm Portugal housing protest camps
Summary
Portuguese police used shields and batons to clear housing protesters from camps in Lisbon and Porto on Sunday. The demonstrations oppose a government rental bill that protesters say would make housing less affordable and tenants more vulnerable to eviction.Key Facts
- Dozens of officers, some with police dogs, entered Lisbon’s Rossio Square at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday.
- Protesters had set up more than 50 tents after a march in Lisbon on Saturday.
- Police commander Iuri Rodrigues warned protesters three times to remove the tents, saying they were illegal and resistance could lead to disobedience charges.
- Police also dismantled a smaller camp in Porto’s Dom Joao I square.
- Police arrested 25 people in Lisbon and six in Porto during operations the previous Sunday.
- Housing campaign group Casa para Viver said 60 people were injured in last week’s operations; police called their actions proportionate.
- Portugal’s house prices have more than doubled since 2017, while rents on new leases have almost doubled.
- The Bank of Portugal estimates the country has a shortage of 300,000 homes.
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