Last night’s resolve by ‘right to housing’ protestors in Lisbon to return to camping in Rossio morphed into a decision to sleep under the stars, without tents – so as to avoid police intervention.
Early this morning, those that were still in the iconic square decided to pitch their tents at least during daylight – but these were ordered down by police at 9am, and those responsible grudgingly complied.
The reality, nonetheless, is that these housing protests are far from over, with further demonstrations being scheduled – the next coming on Saturday.
Perhaps to try and take out some of the heat of the situation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has proposed to temporarily suspend proceedings against the 55 young people detained in Rossio after the police crackdown over Monday night and into the early hours of Tuesday.
As reports explain, a temporary suspension means that the defendant admits to having committed a crime and agrees, for example, to carry out community service or pay a certain sum. The advantage of this option is that the defendant will not have to stand trial.
The information was disclosed by the Attorney General, and one of the spokespeople for the Lisbon Encampment has told Público that the movement is considering the option.
Should the defendants not accept the suspension of proceedings for the offence of disobedience, the Public Prosecutor’s Office will have to proceed with a formal indictment.
The hearings for those in custody have been postponed until next Tuesday, October 27. Of the 55 protesters, 52 appeared in court on Wednesday with the remaining three failing to attend the hearing.
Protests began in Porto on October 10
This new wave of protests about the country’s housing dilemma began in Porto on October 10 and has since spread to Lisbon and beyond. A trigger for the discontent was the passing in parliament of the minority AD government’s new rental law (which has been criticised for making things even harder for tenants). The law only passed due to abstention by CHEGA, which has since intimated that it will not support the final reading unless it is significantly changed.
The outrage that the government’s rental approach sparked has led to protestors demanding not only measures to tackle the housing crisis (once and for all), but price controls on essential goods and fuel, and taxes on the windfall profits of large companies in the banking sector.
All this has collided with one of most fraught moment in the political calendar, the debate on the next year’s State Budget – in which, this year, the government stresses there is ‘very little leeway’.
Source material: SIC Notícias
Natasha Donn
Journalist for the Portugal Resident.