Portugal housing protesters return to Lisbon and Porto after police clear camps

Police detained 55 people after demonstrators set up camps in Lisbon and Porto to protest rising housing and living costs.

Published on 21 October 202621 October 2026

Thousands of demonstrators returned to central squares in Lisbon and Porto on Tuesday to protest worsening housing and living-cost pressures, hours after police cleared their encampments and detained 55 people.

Activists are demanding that the centre-right government withdraw legislation that would make evictions easier and remove rent caps from new leases. The bill has passed an initial reading in parliament.

In Lisbon, demonstrators sought to rebuild their camp at Rossio Square, while protesters returned to Dom João I Square in the northern city of Porto.

Organisers said more than 1,000 people had gathered at each square. Activists had occupied Rossio Square since Saturday, pitching roughly 200 tents, and Dom João I Square for about 10 days.

‘Enough is enough’

Debora Miranda, 41, a communications consultant, told Reuters she joined the Rossio Square protest to represent generations struggling with rising costs. “If people don’t feel at home, in every sense of the word, they can’t move forward with their lives. Enough is enough.”

The camps echoed housing demonstrations in neighbouring Spain and came amid wider protests over rising living costs in countries including France, Belgium and Italy.

Shortly before 6am, police warned demonstrators that the camps were illegal before carrying out coordinated operations in both cities. Protesters in Porto complied with orders and dismantled their tents themselves. Officers then cleared Rossio Square in Lisbon, an action camp spokesperson Carla Valadao described as “very aggressive”.

Public Security Police superintendent Sergio Soares told reporters that the clearance was “calm, proportionate and appropriate, with no police charge”.

The 55 detainees were later released pending a court appearance in Lisbon on Wednesday.

Portugal’s worsening housing affordability crisis

Portugal is facing one of Europe’s most severe housing affordability crises. Property prices have more than doubled since 2017, while rents for new leases have nearly doubled.

Jorge Paixao, 19, a history student, described the situation as “a societal crisis”. He said his generation needed “the ability to live with dignity, start families and rejuvenate Portugal”.

The pressure is most acute in major cities, where there has also been opposition to excessive tourism and the influx of digital nomads — people who work remotely while travelling.

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