Thousands march in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra over soaring housing costs in Portugal

Following the violent protests in France and Italy, public anger is now on the streets of Portugal too. Thousands of people have come out in the capital Lisbon, as well as Porto, Coimbra and other large cities, openly protesting against government policies. This is the country that is the home of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Protesters say sky-high rents, home prices that have moved out of reach and rising inflation have left people in distress. They want the government to take firm steps immediately.

In central Lisbon, protesters have pitched tents and begun a sit-in. Placards carried by the crowd demanded affordable housing and bore slogans against big industrialists. Ordinary people say salaries in the country are very low, while house rents and prices have reached international levels. As a result, young people, middle-class families and locals can neither buy a home nor even afford to live in a rented one.

The protesters have particularly targeted large real estate investment funds. They say these international funds are buying residential property in large numbers and using it for business or short-term tourist rentals. This has created a severe shortage of homes in the housing market, and prices of the available houses are sky-high.

The protesters have demanded that the government enforce very strict laws on such investment funds. They have warned that homes in the market should be for locals to live in, not for speculation or purely for profit. People fear that if the government does not rein in this unchecked investment in real estate, locals will become homeless in their own country.

Many placards in Lisbon strongly condemned the violent incident in Porto. In the early hours of Thursday, police used force in Porto to remove people who were peacefully agitating for the right to housing. In the clashes between protesters and police during the action, 37 people were injured, two of them reported to be in a very serious condition.

The police action further inflamed the anger of the protesters. People carried placards with sharp slogans such as "Don't break heads, give houses" to protest against what they called the high-handedness of the authorities. The protesters said it is deeply condemnable to use such coercion against citizens who are democratically fighting for their basic right to shelter.

Amid these protests and growing social tension, a statement by Portugal's President António José Seguro drew attention. In a message, he said that in any democratic and advanced society, poverty cannot be accepted as fate or compulsion. He also said that providing basic facilities and security to every vulnerable section of society is the government's first responsibility.

About 1.66 million people in Portugal are currently living below the poverty line or at serious risk of poverty. For the first time since 2015, the number has fallen below 2 million, but more than 1.6 million people in poverty remains a grave reality for the country. There are fears that the share of people in poverty may rise again because of rising inflation and the housing crisis. Amid this unrest spreading across Europe, the Portuguese government faces a major challenge on both the economic and political fronts.