Thousands gathered this Saturday at Alameda Dom Afonso Henriques in Lisbon to demand a home to live in and to uphold the right to housing, which is enshrined in the Constitution. They criticized the current government’s actions regarding this issue.
Calls for Change from the Porta a Porta Movement
André Escoval from the Porta a Porta movement stated that it is worse to have a house to live in, emphasizing that the demonstration seeks to urge the government to implement measures that lower housing prices. He called for regulation and a reassessment of the interests of property owners and banks.
Read More About: Portugal Fire Recovery Funding Announced for Homes and Businesses
This will be a major struggle, stated André Escoval, who accused the government of being hostage to the interests of property owners and banks. He expressed hope that the current administration will be willing to listen to their concerns.
Filipa Roseta Faces Backlash
Filipa Roseta abandons protest after organization says she is not welcome.
Filipa Roseta, the councilor for Housing at Lisbon City Council, attended the demonstration and highlighted the efforts of the current administration. She stated that much more has been done than in the last decade to address the housing crisis in the city, citing approximately 2,000 home deliveries and 1,000 rental subsidies.
The mayor defended the current Government’s intervention and highlighted the cooperative competition 1. Housing. In response to Filipa Roseta’s presence and statements, the representative of the Porta a Porta movement accused her of engaging in pure political opportunism.
They declared that she was not welcome at this protest for the right to housing. Consequently, Filipa Roseta left the demonstration. He told SIC Notícias before leaving the protest:
“I am here for the right to housing, like everyone else. We want people to live better. It is a demonstration about housing, as I have spoken every year on this day. If this time it is complicated… this year I have so many results to present.”
March for Housing Rights
Once all the protesters gather at Alameda Dom Afonso Henriques, starting at 3:00 PM, the demonstration for the right to housing will proceed on foot for approximately 3.5 kilometers to Arco da Rua Augusta.
The route will take them down Avenida Almirante Reis and will conclude with performances by musician Filipe Sambado, the group BatukadeiraX, and artist Jhon Douglas, emphasizing that the fight is also done in celebration.
Organizers Unite for Action
The demonstration is organized by the Casa Para Viver platform, the Porta a Porta movement, the Referendum for Housing, the Ruído Project, Vida Justa, and 1º Esquerdo.
They aim to address the worsening housing crisis and express their skepticism toward the measures proposed by the new Government—the Democratic Alliance (AD), a coalition of PSD/CDS-PP/PPM—to resolve the issue.
One of the proposals includes putting an end to evictions, vacancies, and demolitions that do not provide alternatives for decent housing and fail to preserve family unity in their area of residence. Additionally, they advocate for reducing the value of bank installments, emphasizing the need to make the bank’s profits pay.
Prioritizing Affordable Housing
Combating real estate speculation ranks as one of the top priorities, emphasizing the need to utilize vacant properties owned by the State, large landowners, funds, and companies at social prices. Additionally, the call for increased public housing is crucial to address the housing crisis.
At least 22 cities across Portugal participated in the demonstration organized by the Casa Para Viver platform, advocating for the right to housing. Protests occurred simultaneously from the north to the south of mainland Portugal, as well as in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos.
Also Read: Portugal’s Property Prices Increase By 7.8% In Q2 2024
According to the platform, which unites over a hundred organizations and has mobilized thousands during three demonstrations in June and September 2023, and January this year, the new government led by social democrat Luís Montenegro is heavily committed to the real estate business.
The organizers said:
“House prices and rents continue to rise, overcrowding is on the rise, as are shanty towns, homelessness and evictions. Most, if not all, of our salaries (and often this is not enough!) are spent on paying for housing. As a result, poverty is inevitably on the rise.”
The last demonstration for the right to housing, on January 27, mobilized 19 cities.
Demonstration Brings Together Hundreds in Porto
In Porto, hundreds of people gathered in Praça da Batalha for the protest. The Porta a Porta movement distributed leaflets featuring slogans for the demonstration, along with posters, stickers, and t-shirts that read Porta a Porta.
The demonstration will proceed from Praça da Batalha to Rua de Santa Catarina, then to Rua Fernandes Tomás, concluding at Aliados. Raquel Ferreira, spokesperson for the Porto branch of the Porta a Porta movement, informed the media that the demonstration will be delayed by one hour.
The demonstration was originally scheduled for 3:00 PM, but at the request of the PSP due to a change of shifts, it will now depart from Batalha at 4:00 PM. This marks the fourth demonstration in a year and a half advocating for the right to housing in Portugal.
Three Dozen People In Faro
The Porta a Porta movement mobilized around three dozen people in Faro. The spokesperson for the Porta a Porta movement, Ana Tarrafal, told the media:
“Today we are here in a specific fight for housing […]. The housing problem is not just about house prices, it also has to do with […] speculation, it also has to do with low wages.”
In Faro, protesters displayed signs with slogans calling for more public housing, the regulation and review of housing licenses, the combating of informal rentals, and the allocation of bank profits to pay mortgages. Ana Tarrafal further said:
“The truth is that PS was actually there [in Government] long enough to at least try to resolve this problem and it didn’t resolve it and ended up camouflaging the problem a bit, because it didn’t resolve the core of the issue, the speculation itself.”
The spokesperson also stated that the current right-wing government is not only failing to solve the housing problem but is actually exacerbating it, citing the measures introduced that have only fueled speculation.
Ana Tarrafal explained that the housing crisis in the Algarve is linked to the region’s heavy reliance on tourism, where most workers earn only the minimum wage. The Porta a Porta movement argues that the State must not evade its responsibilities by leaving the decision on the inalienable right to housing to the market’s invisible hand.
They advocate for public policies that ensure an increase in the public housing stock, a reduction in loan interest rates, and a halt to rising rents.
Continuing the Fight for Housing
The fight continues for action on housing policies, Albino, a protester in the Algarve capital, told the media. He emphasized the importance of people persisting in their demands for changes to the current policies.
He believes that the PS has done little for housing and feels it is still too early to understand what the current Government of the PSD and CDS coalition will do.
