Follow-Up: Thousands Return to Lisbon's Rossio Square Demanding the Rental Bill Be Scrapped, as Prime Minister Rules Out Repeal
Housing protests in Portugal's capital returned to a main square on Saturday (October 31), as thousands of demonstrators packed Rossio Square in central Lisbon to press the minority centre-right government to scrap a rental bill they say would worsen the country's affordability crisis. Organisers said several thousand people filled the square; police gave no crowd estimate.
The bill targeted by the protesters would make evictions easier and end rent caps on new leases. It passed a first parliamentary reading with the abstention of the far-right Chega party.
Portugal is grappling with one of Europe's worst housing crises, with young people among the hardest hit. House prices have more than doubled since 2017, and rents for new leases have nearly doubled. Protests have intensified in recent weeks; police have been criticised for baton-charging demonstrators and arresting dozens while clearing a protest tent camp in the same square a week ago.
Rita Silva, a spokesperson for the housing movement Casa para Viver, told public broadcaster RTP that people were showing 'enormous perseverance, strength and determination' after weeks of protests, and that the demonstrations would continue, saying the government showed no willingness to listen. Interior Minister Luis Neves said the government respected the legitimacy of the protests but expected them to be held 'with order, civility' and in compliance with the law.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Thursday ruled out scrapping the bill but said he was open to amending it ahead of a final vote in coming weeks, saying parties 'have to move closer' while making clear the main line of action is the government's programme. Socialist Party leader Jose Luis Carneiro on Saturday urged the government to engage in talks with opposition parties and protesters rather than 'arrogantly imposing its views'.
The unrest mirrors protests across Spain, France, Germany and elsewhere in Europe over soaring housing and living costs. A final vote on the rental bill is expected in the coming weeks.
Related: Follow-up: Thousands Protest Outside Portugal's Parliament Over the Housing Crisis
(Reporting by Reuters)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：葡萄牙 Lisbon 市中心的 Rossio Square（正式名称 Praça Dom Pedro IV），周六的住房抗议在此集结（资料图）。Anton Zelenov 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Rossio Square (Praça Dom Pedro IV) in central Lisbon, Portugal, where Saturday's housing protest gathered (file photo). Photo by Anton Zelenov, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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