Portuguese police clear housing protest camps, arresting 55

LISBON, Oct 20 - Portuguese police cleared protest camps in Lisbon and Porto before dawn on Tuesday, removing activists who had occupied two central squares to protest against a worsening housing crisis, and making 55 arrests.Activists had occupied Lisbon's Rossio square since Saturday, pitching around 200 tents, and Porto's Dom Joao I square for around 10 days.The camps mirrored housing protests in neighbouring Spain, and coincided with unrest over rising living costs in countries such as France, Belgium and Italy.Shortly before 6 a.m., after warning protesters that the camps were illegal, police launched coordinated operations in both cities. The protesters took down their own tents in Porto while officers cleared Rossio square.Carla Valadao, a spokesperson for the Lisbon camp, described the police operation as "very aggressive", vowing to resume the protest at 7 p.m.Public Security Police superintendent Sergio Soares later told reporters that the eviction had been "calm, proportionate and appropriate, with no police charge".He said 55 people had been detained for refusing to leave the area voluntarily, and that two minor injuries had been promptly treated.Pedro Duarte, mayor of Porto, said concerns over housing would continue to be heard as long as demonstrations remained peaceful and legal.Portugal is grappling with one of Europe's worst housing affordability crises. Purchase prices have more than doubled since 2017 and rents for new leases have nearly doubled.The squeeze is most acute in the major cities, where there has also been opposition to excessive tourism and an influx of so-called digital nomads.The protesters are demanding the centre-right government withdraw a bill making evictions easier and ending rent caps on new leases, which passed a first parliamentary reading with the abstention of the far-right Chega party. REUTERS