In Portugal's capital, police dispersed a tent camp of participants in mass protests against rising housing prices. Clashes occurred during the operation, with detentions and injuries reported, Reuters says. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
On October 25, dozens of police officers, including with dogs, arrived at Rossio Square in central Lisbon. First, the protesters were offered to remove the tents themselves, warning of possible liability for disobedience. Then the security forces began dispersing the camp. The exact number of detainees and injured is not yet known.
The day before, thousands of people marched through Lisbon demanding affordable housing. After the march, participants set up more than 100 tents on the square. Hundreds of protesters remained in place, trying to protect the camp from police.
A member of Portugal's parliament from the Left Bloc party, Fabian Figueiredo, called the security forces' actions excessive.
"The worst thing that can happen tonight is a police attack on hundreds of people who are peacefully here. Why?" the politician said before the camp was dispersed.
Portugal is experiencing an acute housing crisis. Since 2017, real estate prices in the country have more than doubled, and rent under new contracts has almost doubled. The price increase has hit young people especially hard.
According to estimates by the Bank of Portugal, the country lacks about 300,000 apartments and houses. This is comparable to the entire housing stock of Lisbon.
Protesters demand that the government abandon a bill that would simplify the eviction of tenants and cancel rent restrictions under new contracts. The document has already passed its first reading in parliament.
This is already the second dispersal of a tent camp in Lisbon in a week. On October 20, police detained 55 participants of the action. They were later released pending trial.
Mass protests continue in other European countries as well. Earlier, Kursiv wrote that residents of Italy, Belgium, Albania and Portugal are taking to the streets because of high prices, housing problems and other social issues. Some actions are accompanied by clashes with police.
The situation is especially tense in France. There, on October 20, authorities imposed a curfew in certain areas of Paris after mass unrest and pogroms. Ahead of a new wave of protests on October 24, boutique owners boarded up shop windows, and museums closed to visitors. That day, thousands of demonstrators again took to the streets, and police reported detentions.