Thousands demonstrate in Lisbon against soaring housing costs and police clearings

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Rossio square in Lisbon on Tuesday to demand affordable housing after police forcibly cleared their camp earlier in the day, Euronews reported. Protesters chanted, lit flares, and held up keys alongside signs reading that a house cannot be a privilege. Many activists returned in the evening following a public call, and similar demonstrations took place in other Portuguese cities. [1]

During a public assembly held on Tuesday night, demonstrators voted to return to the square the next day to pitch their tents again, according to Euronews. The crowd voiced opposition to recent government plans aimed at easing caps on yearly rent increases. [1]

The latest demonstration follows ongoing action in the Portuguese capital, as FTMQ News reported earlier. Protesters had camped overnight in tents in Rossio square over the weekend, while related demonstrations over rising housing costs and living expenses expanded to Porto. [7]

As FTMQ News reported previously, thousands of people also marched in Lisbon and Porto earlier in October over housing prices and low wages. Those demonstrations were organised by a platform called You can't live like this anymore. [8]

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, which has a total population of 11.4 million people. The city traces its history back to ancient Phoenician settlers in the eighth century BCE. [6][8]