Tens of Thousands Protest Living Costs Across Portugal
CGTP organized nationwide marches in Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra to protest soaring inflation and a deepening housing crisis.
Tens of thousands of people marched through Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra on October 17 to protest soaring living costs and a deepening housing crisis. Organized by the CGTP, Portugal's largest union federation, the demonstrations focused on the failure of wages to keep pace with inflation and housing prices that have more than doubled since 2017.
The unrest follows an October 12 police operation to clear a housing activists' tent camp in Porto. These rallies coincide with similar cost-of-living demonstrations occurring across Europe, including in France and Belgium.
Government and political reactions were divided. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Carlos Abreu Amorim stated that the government would not yield to street protests, asserting that measures to address the crisis are already being implemented. Conversely, Left Bloc representative José Manuel Pureza emphasized that the primary demand of the protesters is the right to housing for everyone.
