Lisbon housing protesters to march from Marquês de Pombal to Rossio on 31 October and vote on whether to camp there again
Members of Acampada de Lisboa, the housing protest camp, met in Rossio square on the evening of 28 October and decided to march on Saturday, 31 October, from Marquês de Pombal square to Rossio and then stay in the square. More than 230 people voted for the march; 95 wanted only a gathering in Rossio. The march's start time has not yet been announced.
Whether to pitch tents in Rossio again will be put to a vote on the Saturday itself. The previous attempt to camp there overnight was broken up by the PSP (Public Security Police) on the night of 25 October, when officers dispersed protesters with batons and dogs. According to the PSP, 33 people were injured and 33 were arrested.
In Porto, protesters have been occupying Praça D. João I since 10 October. On the night of 28–29 October they again put up about 15 tents there. The police ordered them to remove the tents by 00:30; the tents were taken down by 00:45, but people stayed in the square.
The protesters' demands are unchanged: repeal of the new rental law, an end to demolitions and evictions that leave people with nowhere to go, limits on purchases of housing by investment funds, more public housing, conversion of empty buildings into homes, and rent caps that are genuinely affordable.
