Protesters in Lisbon held a vote late yesterday to decide on a new rally scheduled for this Saturday. This protest will be called 'We have no homes, we are setting up tents!', which means returning tents to Rossio Square in Lisbon.
The march is set to start at Marques de Pombal roundabout at 3:00 PM and conclude at Rossio Square by 7:00 PM. The proposal to resume setting up tents in Rossio Square at seven in the evening on Saturday was unanimously approved by around a hundred protesters gathered at a popular assembly, which concluded with a minute of silence in solidarity with the right to housing.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the 'We have no homes, we are setting up tents!' rally will begin at Marques de Pombal roundabout and head towards Rossio Square, where hundreds of people have been gathering daily since last Saturday, demanding measures to solve the housing crisis.
Specific demands to the Government from the Camp in Lisbon include the repeal of the rental law, an end to demolitions and evictions without alternative housing, and a halt to housing acquisitions by investment funds. Furthermore, there is a demand to increase social housing, introduce affordable rent caps, and establish a state initiative to restore vacant properties for residential use.
The current protests against the housing crisis, which include rallies and camps with hundreds or thousands of participants, began in Porto on October 10th and spread to Lisbon, but have also attracted attention in other cities following the parliamentary approval of a new rental law currently being discussed in a special session. These initiatives, promoted by civil movements and disseminated through social media, call for measures to address the sector's crisis, control over prices of basic goods and fuel, and the introduction of taxes on superprofits of large banking companies.
On October 15th, the movement protesting in Porto with a camp condemned the harsh police pressure in the early hours, which resulted in injuries to 39 participants, two of whom were seriously injured, as well as one police officer. In Lisbon, authorities dismantled dozens of tents from Rossio Square early Tuesday morning and detained 55 protesters who are due to appear before a judge on the 27th.
