Protesters in Lisbon began rebuilding their sit-in camp at Rossio Square on Tuesday, while those in Porto gathered at Dom Joao I Square. Organisers said more than 1,000 people had assembled at each square, a show of defiance just hours after coordinated police operations early in the morning, during which officers cleared the Lisbon camp and Porto demonstrators dismantled their own tents on police orders.
The police action drew sharply contrasting accounts. Carla Valadao, a spokesperson for the Lisbon camp, described the clearance as 'very aggressive'. Public Security Police superintendent Sergio Soares, however, told reporters the operation had been 'calm, proportionate and appropriate, with no police charge'. Detainees were released pending a court appearance in Lisbon on Wednesday.
The protests are driven by a housing affordability crisis that has seen purchase prices more than double and rents for new leases nearly double since 2017. The centre-right government's proposed bill, which has passed a first parliamentary reading, aims to make evictions easier and end rent caps on new leases, drawing fierce opposition from activists.
Demonstrators have occupied Rossio Square since Saturday, pitching around 200 tents. The Porto camp had stood for around 10 days. 'If people don't feel at home, in every sense of the word, they can't move forward with their lives…enough is enough,' said Debora Miranda, a 41-year-old communications consultant at the Lisbon protest. History student Jorge Paixao, 19, called the squeeze 'a societal crisis' that blocks his generation from forming families and rejuvenating Portugal.
The Portuguese protests mirror housing demonstrations in neighbouring Spain and coincide with wider cost-of-living unrest across France, Belgium and Italy. Opposition has been particularly strong in major cities, where activists have also criticised the impact of excessive tourism and an influx of digital nomads on the already tight housing market.