About 200 people protest in Porto for the right to housing

Cerca of 200 people gathered today at Trindade metro station, in Porto, to manifest themselves by the right to housing and claim “houses to live, not to speculate”.

By 18:30, the protesters began to join the protest called by the platform Casa Para Viver, shouting “habitation is a right, without it doing anything”.

“Houses to live, not to speculate”, “they will not rob us of the right to live” and “we want roof, we want floor, by the right to housing” were other words of order sung by protesters, some also holding posters.

By the voice of several people who gave their testimony, in addition to statements from other activist movements, the protest was heard, but also to see, with ‘videoarte’ projected on the upper wall of the facade of the station.

A photo of José Mário Branco accompanied by “Peace, bread, health, housing” and a memory that “there are more carnations than batons” accompanied statistical data on the price of houses in Europe.

According to journalist Raquel Ferreira, the objective was, as in Lisbon, “to signal the beginning of the discussion of the State Budget in the Assembly of the Republic”, marking a position of “disagreement” regarding the measures on the table for housing.

“ We know that the state budget, as proposed, does not meet the needs of the population with regard to housing. [...] There are testimonies by the rulers and political representatives who are completely alienated from reality”, he denounced.

Raquel Ferreira noted that many people “are smothered by the costs of housing in the country” and the government has responded “with police violence totally disproportionate”, recalling the police charges in Lisbon and Porto.

The President of the Republic, António José Seguro, “also kept quiet for many days,” he added.

The people “require more,” said the spokesperson, calling on everyone to join a demonstration that the Casa para Viver platform has scheduled, for several points in the country, to 14 November.

“ They want to claim what is a constitutional right, which is the right to housing, and we believe that the mobilizations for November 14 will also be very expressive ", said.

Articulating with the Camp that has taken place a few meters away, in Praça D. João I, many protesters went down to this place, in “forms of struggle that complement each other” in favor of “a basic right like having a house”.

“ We are in solidarity with all the protesters in Praça D. João I and also in Rossio, Lisbon. We repudiate any and all police violence,” he added.

During the morning of Sunday, PSP dispersed, with batonada and using dogs, the demonstrations for the right to housing in Lisbon and Porto, after more than two hours of tension and orders for people to leave and tents to be removed.

The demonstrators did not follow orders, invoking the constitutional right to the demonstration.

According to the PSP, there were 33 injured and 33 detained for disobedience. In a statement, camp organizations reported dozens of wounded.

The Internal Administration Inspectorate (IGAI) opened a process following police interventions that took place on Sunday morning in Lisbon and Porto. Also the ombudsman asked the PSP, urgently, information about the police load on Sunday morning about the protesters.

The leftist parties criticized police intervention and asked the Prime Minister for clarification and the intervention of the President of the Republic.

The Head of State today called for dialogue on housing “and never violence”, stating that he did not like the images he saw, but that he awaits the results of the police investigations on protesters.

The protesters demand the reversal of the new rental law, the end of demolitions and evictions without an alternative housing, a stop to the purchase of housing by real estate funds, the increase in public housing, the recovery of vacant buildings for housing purposes and ceilings “truely accessible” to income.