LISBON, Oct. 28 (EconoTimes) — Thousands rallied outside Portugal’s parliament on Oct. 27 against rental reforms and police conduct, as Portugal recorded the European Union’s steepest annual house-price increase in the second quarter.
Organizers estimated turnout at several thousand, Reuters reported, while police gave no crowd figure. Demonstrators also challenged the government’s rental bill and objected to police conduct after Oct. 25 operations in Lisbon and Porto. Joao Martins, a 39-year-old unemployed protester, told Reuters they were “fighting for decent and affordable housing for everyone.”
The Public Security Police (PSP) said officers removed camps from Rossio Square in Lisbon and Praça D. João I in Porto. The agency reported 31 arrests — 25 in Lisbon and six in Porto — and 11 people injured: eight civilians and three officers. Those figures reflected the PSP’s Oct. 25 statement. Protesters accused officers of excessive force; the PSP said the structures were unauthorized and the operation proportionate. An English-language Euronews report separately said police reported seven minor injuries. Casa para Viver, a housing group, said 60 people were injured, Reuters reported.
Protesters also opposed the government’s rental reform. The bill would change how rents are set between contracts. It would also change rules on deposits and advance rent and speed up eviction processes. The government says the measures aim to increase rental supply and protect vulnerable households. The Assembly’s record lists a Sept. 30 first reading followed by referral to committee.
Portugal’s house prices rose 16.5% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, the largest increase among EU member states, Eurostat said. The government has cited scarce rental supply and rising rents as reasons for its reform, while protesters have called for the bill’s withdrawal.
Lusa reported in a dispatch carried by DNotícias that President António José Seguro urged dialogue and said investigations should examine police conduct. The Presidency has scheduled individual meetings with parliamentary parties on social cohesion at Belém Palace on Oct. 29.
