Tens of thousands march in Lisbon over housing, cost of living crisis

Tens of thousands marched in Lisbon on Saturday to protest soaring living costs and a deepening housing crisis, increasing pressure on the center-right government. The CGTP union called the rally. Inflation hit 3.6% in September, and house prices have more than doubled since 2017. Similar protests occurred in France, Belgium, and Albania.

Tens of thousands of people marched through central Lisbon on Saturday to protest against soaring living costs and a deepening housing crisis in Portugal, increasing pressure on the center-right government. Portugal's biggest union, CGTP, which called the rally, said 'many tens of thousands' packed one of the capital's main avenues. Police gave no crowd estimate. Protesters say low wages are failing to keep pace with housing costs and the rising cost of living. The demonstration followed days of growing unrest, including a tent camp set up by housing activists in the northern city of Porto that police cleared in a pre-dawn operation on Monday. It coincides with protests in France against rising costs and declining public services, and smaller protests in Belgium. There are also mass protests in Albania, where protesters are demanding the prime minister's resignation. Inflation in Portugal hit 3.6% in September, driven by rising food and fuel prices, the latter up 15% year-on-year following an increase in tensions in the Middle East. House prices have more than doubled since 2017, while rents for new leases have nearly doubled, fueling one of Europe's worst housing affordability crises. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Carlos Abreu Amorim said on Friday the 'government will not yield to shouts from the street' and that concrete measures to address the concerns were already being rolled out.