Housing? IL says that “repression is not acceptable or solves anything”

A leader of the Liberal Initiative today considered that the response to “failure in public housing policies” cannot go through the use of “repressive force in the form of a club”, in a criticism of police intervention in demonstrations for housing.

In a publication on social network X, Mariana Leitão wrote that “repression is neither acceptable nor solves anything”.

“ The only solution of a state that fails in almost everything, before those who protest failure in public housing policies, cannot be to use its repressive force in the form of baton ", defended.

The liberal leader considered that the protests will end when the problems are resolved and that this implies the end “of the incompetent policies of courageous state-management politicians who reject the proposals to implement proven solutions”.

Fresh INE numbers: in the second quarter of this year house prices in Portugal rose 18.4% compared to last year, it is the biggest increase in Europe! The housing crisis in Portugal is very serious and requires emergency measures. The Portuguese protesters are right on their side: whoever governed the country so far failed in a loud way, could not apply the measures that allowed more construction, more houses in the market to rent, lower prices. IL has been struggling for years to explain and propose measures to solve the problem of Housing, without successful implementation so far I have proposed a meeting with all parties to reach minimum consensus on emergency measures to be applied. They prefer to continue to play their partisan game. The results of the irresponsibility of the other parties are in view: polarization, confrontation, increasing tension, nor a solution. The repression is neither acceptable nor solves anything. The only solution of a state that fails in almost everything, before those who protest failure in public housing policies, cannot be to use its repressive force in the form of a cocket. People will stop protesting when their problems are solved and we must get rid of the incompetent policies of courageous, courageous management politicians who reject the proposals to implement proven solutions.

— Mariana Leitão (@marianalqcl) October 25, 2026

Mariana Leitão also said that the protesters “are right on their side”, because “whoever ruled the country so far failed in a loud way, could not apply the measures that allowed more construction, more houses in the market to rent, lower prices”.

“The housing crisis in Portugal is very serious and requires emergency measures,” he said, indicating that the Liberal Initiative “has been fighting for years to explain and propose measures to solve the housing problem, without successful implementation so far.”.

The IL leader recalled that she proposed a joint meeting among all party leaders with parliamentary seats, aimed at finding consensus to respond to the housing crisis, but this meeting did not happen.

Mariana Leitão accused the other parties of preferring “to continue to play their partisan game” and considered that “the results of the irresponsibility of the other parties are in sight: polarization, confrontation, increasing tension, nor a solution”.

The PSP dispersed today at dawn, batonada and with the use of dogs, 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 11 wounded, five in Lisbon and six in Porto, and 31 arrested for disobedience (25 in Lisbon and six in Porto). In a statement, the Lisbon Camp mentions dozens of wounded, 37 of them in Porto.

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.