Thousands protest across Portugal over high housing costs and low wages

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Lisbon and Porto on Saturday to protest against the rising cost of living and housing prices, Euronews reported. The demonstrations were organised by a collective named You can't live like this anymore, with further events planned in Aveiro, Braga, and Funchal. [1]

Protesters chanted about low wages and held signs stating that their salaries were not sufficient to live on, according to Euronews. Other placards displayed messages complaining about being unable to move out of parental homes before reaching middle age. [1]

An Instagram account associated with the organisers stated that people in the country have faced pressure from escalating house prices and general living expenses for years, Euronews reported. Portugal has a population of 11.4 million people, and Lisbon serves as its capital city. [1][3]

Portugal joined the European Union in 1986 and adopted the Eurozone currency in 1999. The national economy relies heavily on services, tourism, and manufacturing exports such as textiles and cork, while maintaining a GDP per capita below the European Union average. [4]