Demonstrations for the right to housing shake Lisbon, Porto and 20 other national cities
Thousands of people gathered this Saturday at Alameda D. Afonso Henriques, in Lisbon, to demand “a house to live in” and compliance with the constitutionally enshrined right to housing, criticizing the intervention of the current Government.
André Escoval, from the Porta a Porta movement, said that “it’s worse to have a house to live in” and the demonstration aims to tell the Government that measures are needed to lower housing prices, through regulation and “putting into question” the interests of owners and banks.
“This will be a great fighting action”, stated André Escoval, accusing the Government of being “hostage” to the interests of owners and banks and hoping that there will be willingness to be heard by the current executive.
The councilor for Housing at the Lisbon City Council, Filipa Roseta (PSD), was present at the demonstration, where she highlighted the work of the current executive, stating that “much more has been done than was done in the last decade” to respond to the housing crisis in Lisbon. city, with around 2 thousand house deliveries and a thousand rental subsidies.
ANTÓNIO COTRIM
The mayor, who defended the intervention of the current Government, also highlighted the 1st Housing cooperative competition.
Given Filipa Roseta’s presence and statements, the representative of the Porta a Porta movement accused her of “pure political opportunism”, indicating that she is “not welcome” in this protest initiative for the right to housing.
22 cities joined the protests
After all the protesters had gathered at Alameda D. Afonso Henriques, since 3pm, this protest action for the right to housing continued on a walking route of around 3.5 kilometers to Arco da Rua Augusta, going down Avenida Almirante Reis, ending with a performance by musician Filipe Sambado, from the group BatukadeiraX and artist Jhon Douglas, “because the fight is also a party”.
The demonstration is organized by the Casa Para Viver platform, Porta a Porta movement, Referendum for Housing, Projecto Ruído, Vida Justa and 1º Esquerdo, given the worsening of the housing crisis and because they do not believe in the measures proposed by the new Government, from the Democratic Alliance ( AD), PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition, to resolve the problem.
“Put an end to evictions, evictions and demolitions that do not have a decent housing alternative and that do not preserve family unity in their area of residence”, is another of the proposals, to which is added the reduction in the value of bank payments, ” putting bank profits to pay”.
Combating real estate speculation is one of the priorities, reinforcing the need to put vacant properties owned by the State, large owners, funds and companies into use, “at social prices”, as well as increasing public housing.
At least 22 Portuguese cities joined the demonstration called by the Casa Para Viver platform, in defense of the right to housing, with protests taking place simultaneously from the north to the south of mainland Portugal and in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos.
For the platform — which brings together more than a hundred organizations and has already mobilized thousands of people on the streets of several cities in three demonstrations (June and September 2023 and January this year) —, the new Government, led by the social democrat Luís Montenegro, ” is very committed to what the real estate business is.”
“House prices and rents continue to rise, overcrowding increases, as do tents, homelessness and evictions. Most, if not all, of our salary (and often this is no longer enough) !), is spent paying for the house. Therefore, it is inevitable that poverty will increase”, say the organizers.
Hundreds of people protest in Porto
Also in Porto, hundreds of people gathered in Praça da Batalha to demand the right to housing.
The Porta a Porta movement gave people leaflets with slogans for the demonstration, as well as posters, stickers and t-shirts that read “Door to Door”.
The demonstration continued from Praça da Batalha to Rua de Santa Catarina and Rua Fernandes Tomás, ending in Aliados.
This is the fourth demonstration in the space of a year and a half that has taken place in Portugal for the right to housing.
