Thousands of people returned to occupy the streets of Portugal this Saturday (21) to protest against the escalation of the housing crisis in the country. Under the slogan “No more”, protesters marched in Lisbon and 15 other locations, such as Porto, Braga and Coimbra, demanding solutions to the gap between low wages and high property prices.
The mobilization, called by the “Casa para Morar” platform and signed by around 80 organizations, denounces the impact of financial speculation and tourism on the real estate market. According to a recent report by the European Council, Lisbon is the city in the European Union where residents spend the largest share of their budget on housing: 116% of the average local salary.
In the Portuguese capital, hundreds of people gathered in Praça do Marquês de Pombal and walked down Avenida da Liberdade holding posters with sayings such as “Fed up with choosing to pay rent (rent) or eat” and chanting orders such as “Less rent and more salary”. The audience ranged from young people directly affected by the crisis to property owners who, despite having their own home, recognize the problem as one of the biggest national emergencies.
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Reaction to new government measures
This Saturday’s protest gains even more political weight as it occurs days after the Portuguese government approved, in the council of ministers, a new package of measures for the sector. Among the proposals presented are changes to the lease law that aim to make eviction processes in the event of default faster and easier.
The “Home to Live” platform reacted harshly to the new rules, classifying them as “irresponsible” and accusing the government of punishing those who suffer most from the crisis. Associations that defend the right to housing argue that evictions due to non-payment represent a tiny portion of the market – around 1,400 cases in a universe of one million rental contracts) and that accelerating these actions will only place more people in a situation of extreme vulnerability or on the streets.
Instead of facilitating evictions, social movements demand the regulation of rental prices, a significant increase in the supply of affordable housing, a reduction in places for tourist accommodation and the creation of mechanisms to place empty or unused properties on the market.
