Photo via euronews.com
Portuguese police clear housing protest camps, wound demonstrators
Officers dismantle camps in Lisbon and Porto as activists oppose pending rental law designed to ease evictions and lift rent controls.
What happened
Portuguese riot police cleared tent camps from central squares in Lisbon and Porto early Sunday morning, using batons and police dogs to disperse demonstrators and making 31 arrests. The operation targeted camps set up by housing activists demanding government action on a deepening affordability crisis that has more than doubled home prices since 2017.
Police reported seven minor injuries among officers and protesters. Activist group Casa para Viver disputed the count, claiming at least 20 to 60 people were hurt, and called for new demonstrations outside parliament. Officers had warned protesters overnight that tents would be dismantled and threatened disobedience charges for those who resisted.
The camps emerged in opposition to a rental law passed in parliament's first reading on September 30. The proposed legislation would cut the eviction threshold from three months to two months of unpaid rent, remove caps on security deposits, and end the 2% annual rent-increase cap on new leases—moves critics call the "eviction law." The centre-right government argues the reforms will encourage landlords to list properties, bringing an estimated 300,000 homes to the market.
Activists demanded the government scrap the rental bill and protect tenant rights. The bill, approved only in principle and still pending committee review and final passage, faced unified opposition from left-wing parties, though the far-right Chega party abstained—a move that secured government modifications to soften deposit and advance-rent provisions. A general strike on housing and cost-of-living issues is scheduled for November 11.
Chanakya's Move
The centre-right government is betting that supply-side liberalization (easier evictions, no deposit caps) will unlock dormant rental housing and cool the market through increased availability rather than demand restriction. The activist counter-move is to prevent that legislative path from materializing—first by occupying public space, now by vowing escalation to parliament and street action. The government's play is to clear the visible camps and allow parliament to finish the bill's passage in committee and final vote before street pressure can force a reversal. The far-right Chega's abstention in parliament, paired with a side deal to soften deposits, signals willingness to let the bill pass but extract concessions—a hedge against both left-wing opposition and potential future electoral blowback if the market does not deliver. The real test comes if the law passes and rents do not fall; activists will claim the government chose landlord interests over housing access.