Portuguese police clear Lisbon protest camp, make 25 arrests

Portuguese police swept Lisbon overnight to clear a housing protest camp and took 25 arrests. Officers used batons to charge demonstrators while activists demanded the government stop soaring rents and fix the shortage of homes. The operation happened in Rossio Square just after 2am Sunday. Dozens of officers, some accompanied by police dogs, moved in on the site. Police had warned protesters that tents would be torn down if they did not leave, threatening disobedience charges for anyone who resisted.

More than 100 tents were set up following a massive march Saturday along one of Lisbon's main avenues. A smaller group of about 50 tents also stood in Porto's Praca D Joao I public square before police dismantled it there and made six arrests. Authorities called the action proportionate. The 25 people taken into custody in Lisbon were released later that day and are due back at court on Monday.

Seven minor injuries occurred among officers and protesters across both operations, according to police reports. The activist group Casa para Viver said a different toll of 60 hurt people. They demanded a fresh protest outside parliament on Tuesday. "Choosing the early hours of the morning to unleash dogs and baton-charge peaceful protesters is a political decision," the group stated in their statement. "It shows this government would rather repress those denouncing the housing crisis than address it."

Portugal faces one of Europe's worst home affordability crises right now. Prices have more than doubled since 2017, and rents for new leases have nearly doubled. Young people suffer the most under these conditions. Protesters say high costs are squeezing households and turning housing into a growing source of public anger. The Bank of Portugal estimates a shortfall of 300,000 homes nationwide, which equals Lisbon's entire housing stock.

Activists want the government to scrap a bill that would make evictions easier and to end rent caps on new leases. That legislation passed its first parliamentary reading even though the far-right Chega party abstained. These protests in Portugal mirror recent demonstrations in Spain over home shortages and surging rents. Similar unrest has erupted in cities like Paris, where small student rallies about school conditions broadened into wider protests against government economic policies. The situation shows how quickly housing issues can ignite larger social movements when basic needs remain out of reach.