Portuguese youth set up tent camps to protest soaring rents and housing policy

Following weeks of protests in Spain over affordable housing, Portuguese youth have set up tent camps in Lisbon, mirroring earlier sites in Porto. The demonstrators attribute soaring rents—often rising by several hundred euros—to recent liberalisation of the rental market by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, which removed the previous cap of a two-percent annual increase. Rent for a small apartment now ranges between 400 and 800 euros per month, making housing unaffordable for many, especially young people.

After police violently dispersed the Porto camp, tens of thousands took to the streets across Portugal, chanting slogans against perceived greed. The CGTP union has called for larger wage hikes, an increase in the minimum wage, and greater spending on health and education, while the government proposes only a modest rise in the minimum wage and tax cuts. New protests are planned for later this month, with activists urging a coordinated Iberian strike.