Protesters in Évora use songs to protest for housing

A song “The Ant in the Carreiro”, by José Afonso, was one of the themes played this afternoon in the Praça do Giraldo, in Évora, considered the ‘visiting room’ of the city, in a protest for the right to housing.

This and other themes of Portuguese intervention music were played by the chorus “Vozes de Abril”, directed by singer Mara and formed by amateur singers from different generations, to which the protesters joined.

The protest, decided at the popular assembly held on Friday, started at 4:30 p.m. and, for an hour and a half, songs and slogans were heard, such as “there are people without home and home without people” or “the united people will never be overcome”.

Under the watchful eye of two PSP agents, the protesters set up a tent and cardboard boxes imitating houses and some held posters with messages such as “No to violence, yes to dialogue” and “Go to the wall for asking for housing”.

While chanting slogans, some people raised red carnations on a day when Giraldo Square was full of tourists and also university students, since today was the Day of the University of Évora.

This time, the usual popular assembly was not held, he indicated to the agency Lusa Bento Anastasius, one of the dynamizers of the protests in Évora, stating that the next protest is scheduled for Friday at 6:00 p.m.

Also in statements to journalists, Leonor Mire, another of the dynamizers, made a positive assessment of the initiative, pointing out that today’s protest brought together “more people and generations”.

“ People are excited”, due to the intervention of the PSP in the campsites of Lisbon and Porto, said, considering that “there is no justification for the Government to react like this”.

PSP dispersed early today the camped by the right to housing in Rossio, in Lisbon, and in Praça D. João I, in Porto, removing about 100 tents. The intervention culminated in police charges and throwing objects, causing more than two dozen wounded between demonstrators and police.

The police action motivated a request for clarification from the President of the Republic to the Government and the Ombudsman, and the announcement of a criminal complaint by a lawyer for abuse of power against the Minister of the Internal Administration and the Director of the PSP.

In the camps, which began on October 10th, protesters demand the reversal of the new rental law, the end of demolitions and evictions without housing alternative, a brake on housing purchase by real estate funds, the increase in public housing, the recovery of vacant buildings for housing purposes and “truely accessible” ceilings to income.