Thousands of Portuguese protest housing crisis
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Africanews
Thousands demonstrated outside Portugal’s Parliament in Lisbon against the housing crisis and police violence during camp evictions. Activists cited 60 injuries, compared with seven minor injuries according to police, while President António José Seguro called for dialogue and awaited investigations.
Thousands of people demonstrated in Lisbon on Tuesday evening against the housing crisis and alleged police violence, Africanews reports. Protesters notably held up keys and cardboard houses outside the Portuguese Parliament.
The mobilisation followed the evacuation of protest camps in Lisbon and Porto. Activists said 60 people were injured during the operations, while police reported seven minor injuries and defended the intervention as proportionate. Portuguese President António José Seguro condemned the violence and called for dialogue, pending the results of investigations.
The demonstrators called on the government to abandon plans to make evictions easier and to scrap rent caps applied to new contracts. Portuguese singer Marisa Liz also took part in the rally.
