Portuguese police arrest 13, dozens injured in housing protest

Police cleared housing-protest camps in Lisbon and Porto at about 4:30 am Sunday. Officers with dogs moved into Rossio Square and Dom Joao I Square, took down tents and arrested 13 people. The operation matters because it turned a protest about housing costs into a confrontation over police force and democratic rights.

Police said some protesters threw bottles and paint, and that 13 officers were injured, with eight hospitalized. Activist group Acampada Lisboa said more than 30 protesters were injured, including 10 who needed hospital treatment. Police also said three plain-clothes officers in Porto were assaulted, and one displayed a firearm as a deterrent.

Police seized 69 tents in Lisbon and 30 in Porto. Amnesty International had already called the force used during an earlier clearance excessive and disproportionate. Acampada Lisboa called a new Sunday rally, while a lawyer said he would file a criminal complaint against senior officials.

An order to disperse tells people in a gathering to break up and leave. Refusing means remaining after that instruction, which can lead to arrest under applicable law. In this case, police said all 13 arrests involved people who refused orders to disperse. The article does not give further legal details about the charges or possible penalties.

The camps were linked to marches against soaring housing costs. Protesters set them up late Saturday in Lisbon’s Rossio Square and Porto’s Dom Joao I Square. Police moved in before dawn, removed the tents and arrested six people in Lisbon and seven in Porto.

The dismantling reflects a continuing conflict, not a single incident. Officers had repeatedly cleared encampments in both cities in recent weeks. Protesters wanted to keep public attention on housing policies, while police said the operation followed resistance and alleged attacks involving bottles, paint and assaults on officers.

The operation produced arrests, injuries and a large number of removed tents. Police said 13 people were arrested for refusing orders to disperse. Six arrests occurred in Lisbon and seven in Porto. The figures show that the clearances were enforced through detention as well as the physical removal of the camps.

Police reported 13 injured officers, with eight taken to hospital. They did not provide a number for injured civilians. Acampada Lisboa gave a different account, saying more than 30 protesters were injured and 10 required hospital treatment. The two sides therefore described sharply different human costs.

Police said they seized 69 tents in Lisbon and 30 in Porto, making 99 altogether. The camps had been established after peaceful marches against rising housing costs. Despite the clearances, Acampada Lisboa called another rally in Lisbon and said protesters would not be silenced.

Portugal’s housing crisis is driven by sharply rising property prices and the shortage of homes described in the political debate. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro acknowledged that prices had doubled in a decade. He blamed previous left-wing governments for failing to build enough homes and for pursuing what he called an overly permissive migration policy.

The minority centre-right government plans to ease evictions and remove rent caps on new leases. Protesters oppose both measures. They argue that the changes could push housing costs higher and leave tenants more vulnerable. Their camps and marches aim to force attention onto those risks.

The dispute is now also about how the government responds to dissent. Police have repeatedly cleared camps in Lisbon and Porto, and Amnesty International criticized an earlier operation as excessive. Demonstrators drew inspiration from similar protests in Spain. Further rallies were planned after the latest clearances.

Rent caps limit how much landlords can charge or increase rent under specified rules. Removing a cap on new leases can give landlords more freedom to set starting rents. Easier evictions can reduce a tenant’s security by making it simpler to end a tenancy. Together, these policies could shift more risk toward renters.

The protesters’ warning is direct: they say removing caps on new leases would push up housing costs and that easier evictions would leave tenants more vulnerable. A tenant seeking a new home could face a higher asking rent, while an existing tenant could have less protection against losing housing.

The article presents these as proposed changes, not established outcomes. Their effects would depend on the final rules and housing conditions. The political dispute has already produced marches, encampments and police clearances. Protesters planned another rally, showing that the disagreement over tenant protection remained active.

Red carnations are a symbol of Portugal’s 1974 revolution. That peaceful, military-led uprising ended nearly five decades of dictatorship. By carrying the flowers, some protesters connected their housing demonstration with a defining national moment associated with ending authoritarian rule.

The historical reference sharpened the dispute over police power. Protesters shouted that the operation “smells like a dictatorship” as officers cleared the camps with dogs and batons. A lawyer representing protesters called the night a dark moment in Portuguese democracy and said he would file a criminal complaint against the interior minister and national police chief.

The comparison reflects protesters’ view of the police operation, not a claim in the article that Portugal has returned to dictatorship. Police defended the clearance as rigorous, balanced and respectful of citizens’ rights. Amnesty International had expressed concern about excessive force after an earlier operation, while activists called another rally.

Rent caps are legal limits on rent levels or rent increases. They are designed to keep housing affordable and protect tenants from sudden price rises. The article mentions caps on new leases but does not define them or explain their wider economic effects, so this explanation uses established housing-policy knowledge.

A cap can make a home cheaper for tenants covered by it, especially where demand is strong. However, if rents are held below market levels, some landlords may offer fewer homes, invest less in rental property or convert units to other uses. These effects depend on the design and enforcement of the policy.

The Portugal dispute centers on the government’s plan to remove caps on new leases. Protesters warn that this would push up housing costs and increase tenant vulnerability. Supporters of removing caps could argue that more flexible rents may encourage supply, but the article does not state that argument. It reports only the protesters’ concerns and the government’s broader housing plans.