Portugal Police Arrest 13 in Housing Protest Clashes

Portuguese police have arrested 13 people following clashes with housing demonstrators in Lisbon and Porto, where officers used batons to dismantle protest camps, leaving several demonstrators and police personnel injured.

The confrontations began around 4:30 am on Sunday when riot police, accompanied by dogs, moved into camps at Rossio Square in Lisbon and Dom João I Square in Porto.

Demonstrators accused the authorities of acting like a dictatorship, while police alleged that some demonstrators threw bottles and paint at officers attempting to remove the tents.

In a statement, police said six people were arrested in Lisbon and seven in Porto for refusing to comply with orders to leave the areas.

The operation left 13 officers injured, eight of whom were taken to hospital, according to the police. 

In Porto, three plain-clothes officers monitoring the demonstration were reportedly attacked after demonstrators identified them. One of the officers drew his firearm to deter further aggression.

Police also confirmed that an unspecified number of civilians sustained injuries but defended the operation, saying officers acted firmly while respecting citizens’ rights.

However, activist group Acampada Lisboa said more than 30 demonstrators were injured, with 10 requiring hospital treatment. 

The group announced plans for another demonstration in Lisbon on Sunday afternoon to condemn the police response.

In a social media statement accompanied by photographs of injured demonstrators, the group accused officers of using excessive force and vowed that the demonstrators would continue their campaign.

Some demonstrators carried red carnations, a symbol of Portugal’s 1974 revolution that ended nearly five decades of dictatorship.

Police said they removed 99 tents during the operation, including 69 in Lisbon and 30 in Porto.

The encampments were established late on Saturday after peaceful marches against rising housing costs in both cities. Police have dismantled similar camps in Lisbon and Porto several times in recent weeks.

The latest confrontation follows another police operation against housing demonstrators last weekend, which prompted Amnesty International to express concern over what it described as excessive and disproportionate use of force.

Lawyer Ricardo Sa Fernandes, who represents some of the demonstrators in Lisbon, said he would file a criminal complaint against the interior minister and national police chief over alleged abuse of power.

Speaking outside a police station where some of those arrested were being held, Sa Fernandes described the incident as a serious setback for Portuguese democracy and accused the authorities of crossing acceptable limits.

“This is a dark night in the history of Portuguese democracy. This is absolutely intolerable and has crossed all limits,” he told reporters. 

The demonstrators are demanding that the minority centre-right government abandon proposed changes that would make evictions easier and remove rent controls on new rental agreements.

They argue that the measures could drive up housing costs and weaken protections for tenants.

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has acknowledged that property prices have doubled over the past decade but blamed previous left-wing administrations for failing to build enough homes. He has also criticised what he considers an overly permissive immigration policy.

The protests in Portugal have drawn inspiration from a similar housing movement in neighbouring Spain, where demonstrators have maintained tent encampments in central Madrid and other cities for several weeks.