Police cleared a new tent camp in Lisbon following a rally attended by thousands, Reuters reports.
On Sunday, police arrived at Lisbon’s Rossio Square to dismantle the tent camp. It was set up after thousands of people marched, demanding that the minority government — a centre-right coalition — withdraw a housing rental bill.
Protesters say the document will only worsen the country’s housing crisis.
Police dispersed hundreds of protesters who tried to defend the tent camp; officers used shields and, in some cases, batons.
Separately, police dismantled a similar, though smaller, tent camp in Porto’s Dom João I Square.
Police were criticised for using batons against demonstrators and arresting dozens of people during the removal of tent camps in the same squares a week earlier.
- Portugal is experiencing one of the most acute housing crises in Europe, with young people particularly hard hit. Since 2017, house prices have more than doubled, while rents under new contracts have almost doubled.
- In recent weeks, protests in Portugal against the rapid rise in housing costs have intensified — similar unrest has also spread to Spain, France, Germany and other European countries.