Portugal

Thousands of young people launch a housing protest in Lisbon

Monday 19 October 2026, by Esquerda.net

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The slogan is “Can’t manage anymore? Then pitch your tent!” Protesters gathered in Rossio Square and set up their tents to demand solutions guaranteeing the right to housing. In Porto, a popular assembly brought together thousands of people and decided to re-erect tents in D. João I Square. [1]

The vast majority of those participating in the encampment are young people who, in their statements to the media, testify to the impossibility of becoming independent and leaving their parents’ home, even though they already have a degree and a job. Parents are often cited as examples to illustrate how much the situation has changed in recent decades: while a couple’s salaries were once sufficient to rent or buy a home with a mortgage, today, children do their accounts and realize that it’s nothing more than a dream.

The protesters are not holding back their criticism of the current government, which has adopted measures that benefit only landlords and real estate funds through tax exemptions: the recent amendment to the rent law, passed in its first reading [2] with the support of the far-right Chega party, weakens tenants. Their criticism also targets statements made by members of the government last week in response to the Porto encampment, with the Prime Minister calling the social movements selfish, and a minister asserting that the government will not heed the cries of the street.

Once the Rossio square was occupied, a popular assembly was held, rich in testimonies about the housing crisis. The slogan “the people united will never be defeated” was heard, and Grandola, Vila Morena [3] was sung several times .

In Porto, thousands of people once again decided to spend the night in D. João I Square
The encampments in Portugal began on Saturday October 10th in Porto, where, despite police repression, D. João I Square was the scene of gatherings and nighttime assemblies throughout the week. That Saturday, thousands of people gathered again in the late afternoon, in solidarity with the right to housing movement, but also to protest against the police intervention early Thursday morning.

During the public meeting held in the early evening, it was decided to put up tents to spend the night on site.

"It was an unequivocal vote, almost unanimous. People are outraged and want to support us. More and more people are joining us," said Cristiana Leal, one of the organizers of the demonstration, who called for "more people to come and help the government hear the cries from the street: Lisbon is crying out, Porto is crying out, and in Faro too, there has been a strong mobilization."

17 October 2026

Translated by International Viewpoint from Inprecor. First published Esquerda.net.

Footnotes

[1] Photo by António Pedro Santos: Start of the Lisbon camp for the right to housing.

[2] In the Portuguese Parliament, the vote "na generalidade" is the first of three stages in the adoption of a text, before the article-by-article examination and the final vote.

[3] This song by José Afonso, broadcast on the radio, on the night of 24-25 April 1974, signalled the military uprising that overthrew the dictatorship.

• Esquerda.net

  Esquerda.net is the website of the Left Bloc in Portugal.