Portuguese police clash with housing protesters, arrest 13

Portuguese authorities used force to disperse housing protests in Lisbon and Porto, arresting 13 individuals and leaving dozens injured in a recent confrontation over the country's housing crisis. Riot police, equipped with dogs and batons, moved in on protest camps at around 4:30am in Lisbon's Rossio Square and Porto's Dom Joao I Square.

Protesters denounced the move as a "dictatorship," while police reported that six people were arrested in Lisbon and seven in Porto for refusing to disperse. The clashes resulted in 13 police officers being injured, with eight requiring hospital treatment. In Porto, three plain-clothes officers were reportedly assaulted by a group of protesters.

Activist group Acampada Lisboa claimed over 30 protesters sustained injuries, including 10 who needed hospital care, and called for a new rally in the capital. The protests, which began with peaceful marches against high housing costs, have been ongoing for several weeks, with authorities repeatedly dismantling encampments. Demonstrators are protesting against plans to ease evictions and remove rent caps on new leases, arguing that such measures would exacerbate housing costs and put tenants at greater risk.