LISBON — Thousands of people rallied outside Portugal's Parliament in Lisbon on Tuesday to protest against a deepening housing crisis and recent police operations against housing activists, while lawmakers debated the government's draft budget for 2027, Reuters reported.
Source: Reuters via SRN News, Oct 27, 2026
The Associated Press reported that police in previous days used batons and dogs to break up similar protests in the capital's main downtown squares, and that several thousand mostly young people in their 20s and 30s gathered outside the Assembly of the Republic on Tuesday, chanting, singing and banging drums while lawmakers debated the centre-right government's spending plans for next year.
Source: Associated Press via Europe Says, Oct 27, 2026
Portugal faces one of Europe's most acute home affordability crises, Reuters said, with purchase prices more than doubling since 2017 and new-lease rents nearly doubling over the same period, hitting young people hardest as wages have not kept up.
What protesters are demanding
Protesters demanded the minority centre-right government scrap a bill that would speed up evictions and end rent caps on new leases. Reuters said the bill passed a first reading with the far-right Chega party abstaining.
Tuesday's protest followed baton-charging police operations to dismantle tent camps set up by housing activists in Lisbon and Porto on Sunday, sparking allegations of excessive force, Reuters reported. Rally organisers said several thousand people packed the area; police gave no crowd estimate.
Erica Rodrigues, 39, an actress quoted by Reuters, said the crisis affects young people and older generations because the cost of living in Portugal is very high for what people earn, calling it unbearable. Joao Martins, 39, who is unemployed, said protesters were fighting for decent and affordable housing for everyone and for a state budget that reflects the interests of the majority.
President steps in
The Associated Press reported that Portuguese President António José Seguro, whose role is mostly ceremonial but who wields political influence, has convened a Council of State — an advisory body — for a meeting next week to discuss the protests in Portugal.
Reuters noted the Portuguese protests echo recent demonstrations in Spain and elsewhere across Europe over housing shortages and surging rents. What happens next will be watched in the budget debate and at next week's Council of State meeting.