Tens of Thousands Protest Housing Costs and Living Expenses in Portugal

Dragon Media News Desk

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra and other Portuguese cities on Saturday, demanding affordable housing and measures to curb the rising cost of living.

In central Lisbon, protesters called for laws to curb property speculation, accusing large real estate funds of driving up housing costs. They also protested a police operation to disperse housing demonstrators in Porto.

Local media reported that 37 people were injured during the operation early Thursday, including two who were seriously hurt.

President António José Seguro said on Saturday that poverty should not be considered inevitable in a democratic society. In a message on the presidency’s website, he said about 1.66 million people in Portugal remained at risk of poverty. It was the first time since 2015 that the figure had fallen below two million.

Seguro called for greater efforts to ensure access to essential services and protect vulnerable people. The protests form part of a wider housing movement in Europe, where similar demonstrations have also taken place in Spain and France.