Thousands protest police crackdown on housing encampments in Lisbon

An exterior view of the Assembleia da Republica (Portuguese Parliament) in Lisbon, Portugal, on February 14, 2026. /VCG An exterior view of the Assembleia da Republica (Portuguese Parliament) in Lisbon, Portugal, on February 14, 2026. /VCG Thousands of people gathered outside Portugal's parliament in Lisbon on Tuesday to protest a police operation to clear housing rights encampments in the early hours of Sunday. Businesses in the surrounding area closed at the request of municipal authorities, as parliament began debating the 2027 state budget.The Acampada de Lisboa movement joined the demonstration and called for a popular assembly to be held outside parliament.Municipal police asked nearby businesses to close for the afternoon, a request that most complied with. Several units of the Public Security Police (PSP), including intervention teams, were deployed to the area, along with emergency medical teams from INEM.The police operation, carried out in the early hours of Sunday, cleared encampments in both Lisbon and Porto following more than two hours of tension and repeated orders for protesters to vacate the squares. The protesters refused to leave, citing their constitutional right to demonstrate.Dozens of injuries and arrests on charges of disobedience were reported. Hospitals in Lisbon said they had treated 27 people for injuries, more than double the five cases initially reported by police.Portuguese President Antonio Jose Seguro on Tuesday condemned the clashes and violence at weekend demonstrations, particularly in Lisbon, and called on the government, parliament and political parties to stop blaming one another and find concrete solutions to the housing crisis."Stop the blame game. Everyone has responsibilities," Seguro said in a statement criticizing the lack of political dialogue.Opening the parliamentary debate on the budget, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro defended the police response, saying the PSP had acted proportionately and had been "particularly careful and competent" in restoring public order.Montenegro said he wanted to address the issue directly before turning to the details of the budget, as the police operation had come to dominate media coverage.The debate on the 2027 state budget is scheduled to run through Tuesday and Wednesday. Its passage at the first reading is assured, as the main opposition Socialist Party has pledged to abstain. Source(s): Xinhua News Agency