Tens of thousands protest over housing and prices in Lisbon — Jerusalem Post

Tens of thousands of people marched through central Lisbon on Saturday, protesting the rapid rise in the cost of living and the deepening housing crisis in Portugal. The demonstration was called by the country’s largest trade union, CGTP, which said that “many tens of thousands” of participants filled one of the capital’s main streets. Police did not provide their own estimate of the crowd size, reports the Jerusalem Post.

Protesters’ demands

March participants say that low wages are not keeping pace with housing costs and the overall increase in the cost of living. They demanded higher wages and pensions, as well as improved public services.

Tensions surrounding the housing situation intensified after police dismantled a tent camp of housing activists at dawn on Monday in the northern city of Porto.

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Inflation and housing prices

Inflation in Portugal reached 3.6% in September. Its increase was driven by higher food and fuel prices; fuel prices rose by 15% year on year amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.

According to the publication, since 2017 housing prices in the country have more than doubled, while rents under new contracts have nearly doubled. The problem of housing affordability is felt most acutely in major cities.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Carlos Abreu Amorim said the day before that the government would not yield to pressure from the streets, while noting that measures to respond to citizens’ concerns were already being implemented.