Portugal: Thousands protest against high rents and low wages
Demonstrators took to the streets in Lisbon and Porto over the rising cost of living. Many cite the housing protests in neighbouring Spain as their inspiration.
Photo: Berthold Werner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · euronews · youtube.com
Thousands of people took to the streets in Portugal at the weekend to protest against the rising cost of living. According to Euronews, rallies were held in Lisbon and Porto, with more planned in Aveiro, Braga and Funchal. Around 1,500 people reportedly took part in Porto. The protests were called by a platform whose name translates as "You can't live like this anymore". Demonstrators criticised high rents and house prices, low wages, expensive fuel and everyday living costs.
One placard read "this salary isn't enough to live on". "Enough is enough," a protester told the Lusa news agency, saying she had been inspired by the recent protests in Spain. There, the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen sparked a wave of protest. After emergency housing legislation failed, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap election for late November. No reaction from the Portuguese government was initially reported.