Housing crisis provokes clashes between protesters and security forces in Portugal

In Lisbon, dozens of police officers, some accompanied by dogs, dismantled a camp in Praça do Rossio. In Porto, the operation took place in Praça Dom João Primeiro. The actions began around four-thirty in the morning.

As the police advanced, the protesters shouted: “This smells like a dictatorship” and “We are peaceful.”

According to the police, six people were arrested in Lisbon and seven in Porto for not obeying orders to leave the places.

Police say protesters threw bottles, paint and pyrotechnic devices at officers. Thirteen police officers were injured and eight needed to be taken to hospital. Three plainclothes police officers were also allegedly attacked in Porto.

Protesters claim that the number of injured is higher. The Acampada Lisboa group says that more than 30 people were injured, ten of them needing hospital care.

The camps were set up after peaceful demonstrations against rising property prices and rents.

The movement criticizes the center-right government, which intends to facilitate evictions and end limits on the values ​​of new rental contracts. Protesters fear the changes will further increase the cost of housing and leave renters more vulnerable.

The Portuguese movement follows the example of Spain, where protesters have held camps for weeks in Madrid and other cities.