Suffocating protests spread to Lisbon over housing costs
Hundreds of protesters set up a tent camp in Lisbon to demand action on housing and living costs, as demonstrations spread across parts of Europe. The protest…
Housing costs are driving demonstrations across parts of Europe. The phrase “suffocating protests spread lisbon” captures the anger of hundreds who set up a tent camp in Portugal’s capital, demanding action on housing and living costs.
Protesters rallied at night in Rossio Square after a march that drew thousands of people nationwide, The Guardian reported on Sunday. They said they planned to stay overnight, as housing affordability and the cost of living fuelled calls for government action.
The camp brings the housing crisis into central Lisbon, where demonstrators say tenants are losing ground as rents rise. Official data cited by The Guardian show Portuguese housing prices rose 124% between 2015 and 2024, roughly twice as fast as the European Union average.
Lisbon camp amplifies housing demands
Hundreds sang around the statue of King Pedro IV in Rossio Square, in the busy heart of the Portuguese capital. The protest followed an earlier housing demonstration in Porto, where dozens of tents had already been set up.
“The Portuguese social class that pays taxes, that which keeps this country going, is under attack and is losing its rights, notably its right to housing,” Elena Costa, a 46-year-old social assistant, told The Guardian. “So we are all here together to try to explain that we are suffocating.”
Antonio Margado, a 52-year-old engineer, blamed what he called “a total liberalisation of rents” and said owners were increasingly protected while tenants needing a home were protected less.
The rise in home prices has particular weight for younger people and residents of Lisbon, according to The Guardian’s account. Around a quarter of Portugal’s more than 11 million inhabitants live in the capital’s greater metropolitan area. For people living and renting there, the protests put pressure on housing policy in a city where the issue has become a central public demand.
A separate demonstration in Lisbon, called by the main CGTP union, also urged action on public services, pensions and wages alongside measures against soaring housing costs. The protests therefore extend beyond rent and home prices, with demonstrators linking housing access to wider concerns about household finances and public provision.
Protests spread across Europe
The Lisbon camp followed unrest in Spain and France and came as protests also reached Italy. In Milan, a march against rising living costs began peacefully on Saturday before masked rioters clashed with police and set fire to barricades made from bar tables.
Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd. At least two officers were injured and about 50 demonstrators, including many minors, were detained, according to LaPresse, as reported by The Guardian. Images after the clashes showed a severely damaged carabinieri vehicle.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said people had a right to demonstrate but condemned the violence. “Setting our cities ablaze is not,” she said. She also accused “hooligans” of exploiting the protests to sow chaos.
Lisbon’s encampment was described by The Guardian as resembling one set up in Madrid three weeks earlier. Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said his government understood people wanted to express outrage over what they saw as omissions in public policy, while warning against importing instability and protest climates from elsewhere.
The immediate demand in Lisbon remains action on housing. The price increase recorded in official data—124% between 2015 and 2024—stands behind the protesters’ call for change.
Source: theguardian.com
