“Portugal shames me. A house is not a luxury. It’s humanity”

“ Portugal, shame me.” These were the words that started the publication Ricardo Castro made on his Instagram page on Sunday, November 1, where he speaks openly about the demonstrations for housing, having shown himself revolted and highlighted the story of an elderly couple. 

“And no, it is not left, right, center or extreme. It's about humanity. The one that seems to be disappearing in the middle of speeches, promises, statistics and power games.

It embarrasses me to look around me and see people working from sun to sun, to accumulate two and three jobs, to give up their own life, and yet not to be able to earn enough to live with dignity,” said the actor. 

“ It embarrasses me to see people in supermarkets looking at shelves, doing head-to-head accounts, taking products out of the cart because money isn't enough. People who have to choose between eating, paying for electricity or buying medicines. And I won't even mention the price of fuel.

It embarrasses me to see entire families being pushed into the street. People living in cars, tents and shacks. People who work, who fulfill, who contribute to this country, but who can't even guarantee a roof over their heads,” he added. 

“ And there's a story that follows me. A story that happened near my house that I can't forget. An elderly couple. He's 78, she's 81. A lifetime of work, memories, sacrifices, shared stories. They had a house, they had their refuge. But the lease was revised and an absurd increase in income was being prepared. The reforms they received would not come to support this increase ", started later by counting. 

“ Desperation was such that the man caused the woman’s death by medication and subsequently put an end to her life. Read it again. This happened. It's not a statistic. It's not an economic projection. It's not a TV debate. They are two human lives”, he said. 

“ And I ask, what society are we becoming? How can two people get to the end of a lifetime and feel that they no longer have a place in this world because they can't afford a house? A house, gentlemen, is not a financial investment for those who live there. This is not an opportunity for speculation. It's not just any merchandise. A house is the fortress of a family. This is where we grow up, where we raise our children, where we age, where we keep our memories”, he reflected. 

“It is the place where we should be able to close the door and feel that we are safe. And the politicians of this country have one thing to say: Enough! Stop babbling, partisan wars, excuses and forever look at your navel. Stop thinking about the next election and start thinking about the next generations. Have political courage! Create reasonable income limits”, he continued. 

“ It is not acceptable for the price of a house to be determined exclusively by market greed, ignoring the reality of those who need a place to live. Create objective criteria that take into account the location, area, age of the building, state of conservation, thermal insulation and energy efficiency ", listed. 

“ It is not acceptable that a T1 in Feijó, 45 square meters, in a 1970 building, without thermal insulation, with windows that are not even double and with a mediocre energy certificate, be placed on the market for 1,200 euros monthly! But who can live like this? Who can pay this with a normal salary?”, he said. 

“And don’t tell me this is a Lisbon or Porto problem. It's not! It's happening all over the country. In the cities, in the villages, in the peripheries and in places where people can no longer live near the places where they were born, they grew up and work ", highlighted. 

“I don’t ask for free homes. I'm not asking you to withdraw rights to those who have invested and provided housing. I ask for balance, justice, responsibility and limits. I ask for policies that put people at the heart of decisions. Because a country is not only measured by economic growth, stock exchange numbers or millions announced in press conferences. A country is also measured by the way it treats the weakest, the older, those who work, those who fight and those who no longer have the strength to fight,” he said. 

“ And you know what else revolts me? Tomorrow this story will be replaced by other news, another controversy, another party discussion. And we'll probably all go back to our routine. But those two people don't come back. So don't ask me for silence. Do not ask me for neutrality in the face of indignity. Do not ask me to accept as normal what should never be normal”, lamented. 

“ Get them in place! Have the courage to rule. Have the courage to counter interests. Have the courage to do what you were elected to do: serve people. Because housing cannot be a privilege of the rich. Working can't just mean surviving. And aging can't mean living in fear of losing your own house.

A house is not a luxury. It's dignity. It's security. It's humanity. It's a family fortress. And a country that lets its people lose even that must stop to think about what it is doing. Portugal, shames me”, he shot.