LISBON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra and other Portuguese cities on Saturday to demand affordable housing and action to tackle the rising cost of living.
In Lisbon, thousands gathered in the city center, setting up tents and carrying banners calling for laws to "ban vulture real estate funds," which protesters accused of fueling property speculation.
Other banners referred to a police operation to disperse housing protesters in Porto in the early hours of Thursday, bearing slogans such as "don't crack heads, open up housing." According to local media reports, 37 protesters were injured in the operation, two of them seriously.
Also on Saturday, President Antonio Jose Seguro warned that poverty "cannot be regarded as inevitable" in a democratic society.
In a message published on the presidency's website, Seguro said around 1.66 million people in Portugal remained at risk of poverty, marking the first time the figure had fallen below 2 million since 2015. He called for greater efforts to ensure access to essential services and protect vulnerable groups.
The protests reflect growing public frustration over housing affordability. They are part of a broader wave of housing activism across Europe, with similar demonstrations taking place in Spain and France. ■