Tents spring up in Lisbon as Portugal housing protests spread

LISBON – Protesters pitched dozens of tents in Lisbon on Oct 17, demanding action to stem housing and living costs in Portugal, mirroring demonstrations that have gripped neighbouring Spain for weeks.

Hundreds of protesters rallied at night in Rossio Square – in the bustling, tourist heart of the Portuguese capital – following a march that had drawn thousands of people nationwide.

The mostly young attendees vowed to stay overnight, with hundreds singing songs as they sat around the statue of King Pedro IV that dominates the square, according to AFP journalists.

“The Portuguese social class that pays taxes, that which keeps this country going, is under attack and is losing its rights, notably its right to housing,” said Elena Costa, a 46-year-old social assistant.

“So we are all here together to try to explain that we are suffocating,” she said.

Engineer Antonio Margado, 52, criticised the centre-right government for “a total liberalisation of rents; owners are protected more and more, while tenants who need a house are those who are protected less and less”.

Portuguese housing prices rose by 124% between 2015 and 2024, roughly twice as fast as the European Union average, according to official data.

The impact is especially harsh on young people and in Lisbon, which concentrates around one-quarter of Portugal’s more than 11 million inhabitants, including the capital’s greater metropolitan area.

Another protester, Isabel Guerreiro, told public broadcaster RTP: “As a self-employed professional, I obviously don’t have the means to pay Lisbon’s exorbitant rents – and I’m a daughter of Lisbon.”

The Oct 17 camp in Lisbon amplified a housing protest that began in the northern city of Porto, where dozens of tents were set up.

‘Matter of survival’

At the earlier protest in Lisbon called by the main CGTP union, demonstrators called for better public services, pensions and wages as well as measures to tackle soaring housing costs.

Marching to the roar of drums, they held placards with slogans, including “Their greed, our misery” and “the cost of living increases, the people can’t take it any more”.

“There are many problems. Wages, housing, the cost of living: it’s a matter of survival,” said Yolanda Silva, a 43-year-old civil servant.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said “we fully understand that people want answers” and to “express their outrage at what, in their view, may be omissions in public policies”.

But he warned political rivals against “importing into Portugal climates of instability and protest that, in fact, have no support in Portuguese society”, in a likely reference to violent protests that have rocked France.

The expanding Portuguese movement comes as Spain is gripped by housing protest camps and demonstrations now in their fourth week, which have culminated in the calling of an early general election for Nov 29. AFP