Lisbon police clear Rossio Square protest camp, arrest dozens amid housing crisis protests

Police in Lisbon cleared a protest camp on Rossio Square, taking 228 tents and detaining 55 demonstrators, with two protesters sustaining minor injuries during the operation. Activists said they would re‑establish the camp within hours. In Coimbra, the housing and infrastructure minister said the government is willing to renegotiate the rent law with the Socialist Party, rejected claims that the law is inhumane, and emphasized respect for the right to demonstrate while warning that illegal occupations will be met with security measures. Opposition parties are responding: Livre plans to appeal a parliamentary ruling that denied an urgent housing debate, and the Liberal Initiative has called for a meeting of all parliamentary leaders to seek consensus.