‘Suffocating’: Protests Spread to Lisbon and Milan as Housing and Living-Cost Tensions Intensify

Tent camp brings housing demands to Lisbon

Hundreds of protesters gathered around the statue of King Pedro IV in Lisbon on Saturday, singing songs and vowing to stay overnight in a tent encampment. They called for action on housing and living costs.

The camp followed a housing protest in Porto, where dozens of tents had already been set up. Antonio Margado, a 52-year-old engineer, criticised rent liberalisation, saying tenants were becoming less protected while property owners gained more protection.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said people wanted to express outrage over what they saw as gaps in public policy. He also cautioned political rivals against bringing instability and protest to Portugal, saying such conditions lacked support in Portuguese society.

Violence and arrests in Milan

In Milan, rioters clashed with police and set property on fire. Police used water cannon and teargas to disperse crowds, and images later showed a badly damaged carabinieri vehicle.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said demonstrating was a right but condemned the violence. She said “hooligans” had exploited the protests to create chaos and attack security personnel, according to her social media post.

Unrest reflects wider grievances

In France, anger over teacher absences and poor school facilities in the northern suburbs of Paris grew into a nationwide movement focused on inequality, public spending and falling standards. Albania also saw violent demonstrations over university conditions and high tuition fees, with protesters demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.

In Albania, demonstrators threw rocks, incendiary devices and other objects at police and set cars and bins alight to form barricades. The unrest followed months of anti-government protests, initially sparked by a controversial resort project linked to the family of US president Donald Trump.