Housing protesters gathered again in Lisbon and Porto after police removed their camps on 20 October. In Lisbon, 55 detainees were released pending a court appearance. The renewed gatherings carry demands to withdraw a housing bill that protesters say would make evictions easier and loosen restrictions on new rents.
Housing protesters returned to central Lisbon and Porto on the evening of 20 October, after police removed their tent camps that morning. The gatherings took place in Rossio square in Portugal’s capital and Dom João I square in Porto. In Lisbon, police detained 55 people for alleged disobedience. They were released pending a Wednesday court appearance.[1], [2]
Police defended the intervention as lawful and proportionate, saying demonstrators in Porto removed their equipment after instructions. Lisbon camp representatives described excessive force and alleged that tents were dragged away while people slept inside. Those competing accounts have not been resolved by an independent investigation. Lisbon’s popular assembly decided that tents should return on Wednesday.[1], [2]
The demonstrations oppose a housing bill which protesters say would ease evictions and remove limits on new rental contracts. Home purchase prices have more than doubled since 2017, and rents on new leases have nearly doubled. The Rossio camp began on Saturday; the Porto encampment had lasted about ten days before the clearance. Organisers said more than a thousand people gathered in each city in the evening.[1]
