Police used batons and dogs to dismantle housing protest camps in Lisbon and Porto, triggering fresh clashes as demonstrators demand the withdrawal of proposed rental reforms they fear will weaken tenant protections.
Portuguese police arrested 13 people during early-morning operations to clear housing protest camps in Lisbon and Porto on Sunday, 1 November, as tensions over the country’s worsening housing crisis continued to escalate.
Officers, some accompanied by police dogs, moved into Rossio Square in Lisbon and Dom João I Square in Porto at approximately 4:30am.
Police used shields and batons to disperse demonstrators who had gathered around the camps, following large protests against rising housing costs and proposed changes to rental legislation.
The operation resulted in six arrests in Lisbon and seven in Porto. Portuguese police said 13 officers were injured, eight of whom required hospital treatment.
However, the number of injured demonstrators remains disputed. Activist group Acampada Lisboa said more than 30 protesters were hurt, including 10 who needed hospital treatment. Police confirmed that civilians had been injured but said they could not yet provide a confirmed total.
The latest confrontation follows several weeks of demonstrations and repeated attempts by authorities to dismantle protest camps established by housing campaigners.
Why are people protesting in Portugal?
The demonstrations reflect growing frustration over the cost of renting and buying a home in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon and other major urban areas.
Protesters say housing has become increasingly unaffordable for ordinary workers, young people and lower-income households.
Many are struggling to find homes they can afford, while rising rents are making it harder for people to remain in the communities where they work and live.
Thousands of people marched through Lisbon on Saturday before demonstrators established more than 50 tents in Rossio Square. A smaller camp was also set up in Porto.
The camps were intended to draw attention to housing affordability and maintain pressure on the government to change its approach to rental policy.
The protests have also become a wider dispute over the right to occupy public spaces and the way authorities respond to demonstrations.
Proposed rental reforms at the centre of the dispute
A major source of anger is a government bill that protesters say would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants and remove rent caps on new rental contracts.
Campaigners argue that the proposed changes could weaken tenant protections and expose renters to further increases in housing costs.
They want the government to withdraw the legislation, warning that making evictions easier and removing restrictions on rents for new leases could worsen an already difficult housing situation.
The government has rejected calls to abandon the bill. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has indicated that amendments could still be considered before the legislation reaches a final vote.
The dispute has therefore moved beyond housing costs alone. It now concerns the balance between landlords’ rights, tenant protections and the government’s responsibility to improve access to affordable housing.
Police operations have intensified tensions
Sunday’s arrests were not the first police intervention against the housing protest camps.
Authorities also moved to dismantle encampments in Lisbon and Porto on 25 October, arresting 31 people and removing 171 camping structures, according to the Portuguese Public Security Police.
That operation also resulted in injuries and prompted criticism from housing campaigners, who questioned whether the force used against demonstrators was justified.
The latest intervention has renewed those concerns. Before the camps were cleared on Sunday, police reportedly issued warnings for demonstrators to leave the areas.
Police maintain that the encampments were occupying public spaces without the required authorisation and that officers acted to restore lawful use of the squares.
Activists, however, say the police response has been excessive and have called for further demonstrations.
The competing accounts underline the growing tension between the authorities and campaigners, as housing protests continue to spread across the country.
Portugal’s housing affordability problem
Portugal’s housing crisis has become one of the country’s most pressing economic and social challenges.
House prices have more than doubled since 2017, while rents for new leases have also risen sharply, according to figures reported by Reuters.
The pressure is particularly visible in Lisbon, where the cost of renting can take up a substantial share of an ordinary worker’s income.
The problem is not limited to people looking to buy their first home. Existing renters face uncertainty over future housing costs, while younger adults increasingly struggle to establish independent households.
The Bank of Portugal has also estimated a nationwide housing shortage of around 300,000 homes, illustrating the scale of the supply challenge.
Government measures aimed at increasing construction and encouraging investment have not yet removed the affordability pressures facing many households.
For campaigners, the proposed rental reforms risk addressing the market from the wrong direction if they do not also provide stronger protections and expand access to affordable homes.
A wider European housing challenge
The demonstrations in Portugal are part of a broader pattern of public frustration over housing affordability across Europe.
Rising rents, limited housing supply and the growing gap between household incomes and property prices have placed housing near the top of the political agenda in several countries.
In Portugal, the use of protest camps has become a visible expression of that frustration. Similar demonstrations in Spain have also highlighted the difficulties facing renters and younger people trying to find affordable accommodation.
The latest clashes raise questions about how governments can respond to housing protests while protecting the right to peaceful assembly.
They also expose a difficult policy challenge: improving the supply of homes while ensuring that changes to rental laws do not leave existing tenants more vulnerable.
What happens next?
The Portuguese government faces continued pressure to address housing affordability and respond to opposition to its proposed rental legislation.
Although Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has indicated that changes to the bill may be considered, campaigners are demanding its withdrawal.
The latest police operation is unlikely to settle the dispute. Acampada Lisboa has called for another demonstration in the capital, while housing activists have indicated that the movement will continue.
For renters, the central issue remains whether Portugal can make housing more affordable without weakening the protections available to people already living in rented homes.
The confrontation in Lisbon and Porto shows how deeply the housing crisis has affected public confidence. Unless the government can demonstrate meaningful progress on affordability, the pressure for further protests is likely to remain.
