Thousands of protesters returned to two central squares in Lisbon and Porto on Tuesday (October 20) and vowed to press on with demonstrations against Portugal's deepening housing crisis, hours after police cleared tent camps before dawn and made 55 arrests.

Jorge Paixao, 19, a history student, called it "a societal crisis," saying his generation needed "the ability to live with dignity, start families and rejuvenate Portugal."

A popular assembly in Lisbon voted on Tuesday evening to return to Rossio square and set up tents again on Wednesday (October 21).

Activists had occupied Lisbon's Rossio square since Saturday (October 17), pitching around 200 tents, and Porto's Dom Joao I square for around 10 days.

Portugal is grappling with one of Europe's worst housing affordability crises. Purchase prices have more than doubled since 2017 and rents for new leases have nearly doubled.

The protesters are demanding the center-right government withdraw a bill making evictions easier and ending rent caps on new leases, which passed a first parliamentary reading with the abstention of the far-right Chega party.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

LISBON, PORTUGAL (OCTOBER 20, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. (NIGHT SHOT) PROTESTERS GATHERED

2. (NIGHT SHOT) SPEAKER ADDRESSING CROWD

3. (NIGHT SHOT) PROTESTERS RAISING THEIR HANDS

4. (NIGHT SHOT) WOMAN SITTING ON MONUMENT ROTATING GLOWING HOOPS

5. (NIGHT SHOT) PROTESTERS CHANTING

6. (NIGHT SHOT) PROTESTER JANGLING KEYS

7. (NIGHT SHOT) CROWD GATHERED, SOME JANGLING KEYS

8. (NIGHT SHOT) PROTESTERS JANGLING KEYS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) 41-YEAR-OLD PROTESTER, DEBORA MIRANDA, SAYING:

“I am here representing many people my age, especially younger people, but also much older people. I was fortunate enough to buy a home a few years ago, but I was only able to do so because I had help from my parents and because I lived outside Portugal for ten years. I managed to save that money; otherwise, I would not have been able to do it. I know many people who simply cannot manage it, who are constantly being evicted, or whose rents keep increasing”

10. PROTESTER ADDRESSING CROWD, ONE PROTESTERS HOLDING UP FLARE

11. PROTESTER HOLDING FLARE WITH PLACARD IN BACKGROUND

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) 19-YEAR-OLD PROTESTER, JORGE PAIXAO, SAYING:

“It is a crisis that will have major impacts on my generation. It will affect people's ability to enter the job market and start families, and it will have a significant impact on Portuguese society. We already have a very ageing society, and this will make the situation even worse because people will not be able to start families or build lives for themselves. This is a societal crisis. It is important for society to come together so that our generation can, even under different circumstances, have the opportunity to live with dignity, start families, and help rejuvenate Portugal.”

13. PROTESTER HOLDING PLACARD READING (English) "Housing is a right not a luxury"

14. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERED

15. PROTESTER HOLDING PLACARD