Pedro Duarte reveals “very cordial” contacts with protesters in Porto

O mayor of Porto today revealed to be in a very advanced phase of “very cordial contacts” with the Movement for Housing, which has been protesting in the city since October 10.

“ Fortunately, we are already at a very advanced stage, ..., of very cordial contacts, very orderly, I would say, civicly exemplary, with the protesters here in the city of Porto ", said Pedro Duarte.

In the margins of the 3rd edition of the Entrance Managers Meeting in the Port Customs Office, the mayor, elected by the PSD/CDS-PP/IL, said that the movement has not yet suggested a date for the meeting, but have been “exchange communications” to achieve it.

“ The demonstrators asked us for some more time to be able to gather material and information and themselves, in a way, to dissect the discussion and the internal debate a little bit, and we, of course, are available so that, when they think it is more appropriate, we can talk about the housing problem and, this, seems important to us ", he pointed out.

Pedro Duarte insisted that contacts between the municipality and the movement have been “very constructive” and guided by “good will”.

“ I would say that in Porto something is happening that seems very important to me that it is absolute democratic normality and, democratic normality, does not mean that we are all quiet and all agreeing with each other”, he said.

According to Pedro Duarte, democratic normality is for people to have different positions, to express them, to be “very vehement” in defending their convictions, but within the democratic legal framework.

In recent days, he added, protesters have shown a great civic sense.

“ And I think that's gonna keep happening. However, this does not mean that they cannot manifest themselves, because tomorrow [saturday] I think a demonstration is being convened and for Sunday there is another manifestation of a political party, the CFP, therefore, the city of Porto will of course continue to have its civic and democratic vivacity very active ", concluded.

The movement for housing that since October 10 has organized protests and a camp in Praça D. João I, in Porto, today reiterated the invitation to the Saturday demonstration, leaving criticism of the Government.

In a statement referring to several decisions or moments that took place in the last days, in which the camped movement had no organized presence in the media and, in the square, it did not promote popular assemblies, the focus it intends to place is on the Saturday demonstration, at 4:00 pm, from the Plaza da Batalha to the square D. João I, where at 19:30 a popular assembly will take place.

The Camp also confirms having “officially received the invitation of the House of Porto on Monday”, to meet with the president and does not want to “close lines of dialogue”, but reiterates “the desire to dialogue and discuss solutions in popular assembly”.

Between demonstrations and so-called camped demonstrations, with hundreds or thousands of protesters, the current protests against the housing crisis began in Porto on October 10 and expanded to Lisbon, but they have also motivated concentrations in other cities, days after the parliamentary approval of the new rental law, now under discussion in the specialty.

The initiatives, promoted by civic movements and spread across social networks, demand measures that respond to the crisis in the sector, the control of the prices of essential goods and fuels and defend taxes on the extraordinary profits of large companies in the banking sector.

On October 15, the protesting movement in Porto, with a camp, denounced a violent police charge during the early hours that caused injuries in 39 of the participants, two of whom were in a serious state, and in a police officer. In Lisbon, the authorities removed dozens of Rossio tents early in the morning of Tuesday and held 55 demonstrators, who will be present to judge on 27.