Portuguese police clear housing protest camps in Lisbon and Porto, 31 detained

Overnight clearance in Lisbon and Porto

Portuguese police cleared tent camps in Lisbon's Rossio square (Praça D. Pedro IV) and Porto's Praça D. João I shortly after 02:00 local time on Sunday, 25 October. Protesters had pitched the tents again on Saturday, 24 October, after marches by thousands in both cities, and a popular assembly decided to stay despite earlier warnings that the camps would not be permitted. Police had told demonstrators that the camps were illegal and that they were authorised to remove them, while saying the protesters could remain in the squares without the structures. In Porto the operation was quicker, with officers using their shields to push demonstrators out of the square. Europa Press reported that the Lisbon intervention was more forceful, with some protesters overturning bins, damaging restaurant terraces and throwing stones and bottles at officers.

Arrests, injuries and confiscated tents

The Public Security Police (PSP) gave an official tally of 31 people detained for disobedience, 25 in Lisbon and six in Porto, who were due before a court on Monday, 26 October. The PSP counted seven injured, five in Lisbon and two in Porto, of whom four were protesters and three were officers. One officer was bitten in Lisbon by a dog belonging to a protester, according to ABC. Organisers gave a much higher count: Europa Press cited 37 people lightly injured, while Al Jazeera and ABC reported that activists said 60 people were hurt, with twenty of them treated at São José hospital in Lisbon. The municipal police seized 171 tents, 117 at Rossio and 54 in Porto.

Lisbon25

Porto6

Lisbon

25 people

Porto

6 people

Data from the article text

Protesters' account and the PSP's justification

The PSP said in a statement that the operation was meant to restore legality and guarantee regular use of public spaces. It said every step was taken to have protesters remove the tents voluntarily, and that the police intervention became necessary when they did not follow instructions. Protesters in Porto had been offered the chance to spend the night in the square if they dismantled their tents, but they refused, according to ABC. The activist group Casa para Viver, which had called for the protest, condemned the timing of the operation.

“Choosing the early hours of the morning to unleash dogs and baton-charge peaceful protesters is a political decision.”

The group also called for a fresh protest outside parliament on Tuesday, 27 October.

Housing crisis behind the camps

Al Jazeera reported that Portugal faces one of Europe's sharpest home affordability crises, with prices more than doubled since 2017 and rents for new leases nearly doubled. The Bank of Portugal estimates a shortfall of 300,000 homes nationwide, equal to the entire housing stock of Lisbon. Protesters are demanding that the government drop a bill to make evictions easier and end rent caps on new leases, a bill that passed a first parliamentary reading although the far-right Chega party abstained.

Earlier clashes and the wider pattern

The camps were cleared in several rounds. Europa Press noted a previous Porto intervention on 15 October that left 39 people injured, and El Mundo reported that a Lisbon camp was dismantled on Tuesday, 20 October, when police detained 55 people and removed 228 tents. The Porto operation of 15 October is being investigated by the public prosecutor's office, according to El Mundo. After the Lisbon clearance, Interior Minister Luís Neves, a former national director of the Judicial Police, declared the camps over, warned that the police would respond with adequate force, and urged protesters not to be infiltrated by extremists.