Portugal police storm housing protest camps in Lisbon, Porto

On Sunday, Portuguese police forcibly dismantled protest camps in the capital cities of Lisbon and Porto, where thousands of housing protesters had gathered to oppose a new rental bill. The clearing operations commenced around 4:30 a.m. local time, with officers moving into Rossio Square in Lisbon and Dom Joao I Square in Porto to dismantle the camps set up by the protesters.

Police utilized shields and batons to disperse the demonstrators, and reported that some protesters had thrown bottles and paint at the officers. According to a police statement, six individuals were arrested in Lisbon and seven in Porto for refusing orders to leave the camps. Thirteen police officers were injured during the eviction efforts, with eight requiring hospitalization.

The statement also noted that an unspecified number of civilians were injured in the incident. One of the lawyers representing the detained individuals in Porto criticized the police response as disproportionate, citing both the scale of the operation and the actions taken as excessive. The activist group Acampada Lisboa reported that over 30 protesters were injured, including ten who needed hospital treatment, and called for a fresh rally against the police operation in the capital later that day.

Prior to the eviction, over 1,000 people had marched through central Lisbon to protest the worsening housing crisis in Portugal, demanding the government scrap plans that would make evictions easier and remove rent caps on new leases. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has ruled out withdrawing the bill, although he has acknowledged that modifications could be made before the final vote.

Portugal is currently experiencing one of Europe's most severe housing crises, with house prices more than doubling since 2017.