Housing rights protesters have denounced what they describe as a violent police operation early Thursday morning, when officers attempted to remove people camping in Praca D. Joao I, a square in central Porto, Portugal.
The most tense moments reportedly occurred at around 3 am, after police arrived to disperse the demonstrators. The Housing Movement condemned the police intervention, describing it as "disproportionate and unjustified".
"The movement strongly denounces the use of extreme, disproportionate and unjustified force during the police operation at the camp, which remained peaceful from the outset and never incited violence," it said in a statement, adding that 37 people were injured during the operation, including two who suffered fractures.
'A more forceful intervention was necessary'
Speaking to CNN Portugal on Thursday morning, Leonor Figueiredo, a representative of the movement, insisted that protesters had been at the site "peacefully" and said there was therefore no justification for the police intervention.
"Pedro Duarte said he was going to be ruthless and now we have seen it, we have understood the message," Figueiredo said, referring to remarks made on Wednesday by Porto's mayor, who had pledged not to allow any form of camping in the city.
A source at the Porto Metropolitan Command of the Public Security Police (PSP) confirmed to Euronews that "a more forceful intervention was necessary" at the site, but said it was too early to provide further details, including the number of people injured, and promised more information later.
Police also confirmed that the protest had been fully dispersed and that "nothing further remains" at the scene.
Several demonstrators had been staying in the square since Saturday, many of them sleeping outdoors after the tents set up during the initial protest were removed by the city council.
Human chain 'brutally harassed'
On Wednesday, following a public assembly, they decided to continue protesting over the housing crisis and to pitch tents again overnight.
Speaking to CNN Portugal, Pedro Manuel, a spokesperson for the movement, said the first attempt to remove the protesters took place at around 2 am, with cleaning vehicles used to try to disperse those present. He maintained that there had been no confrontation with the authorities.
"We formed a peaceful human chain to prevent them from taking away our tents. They waited until the media had left and then drove away in their vehicles," the spokesperson said.
"At around 3 am, they came back, and we formed a human chain again, peacefully, to defend our right to protest and keep the tents," the demonstrator said.
According to Pedro Manuel, it was at that point that police began "harassing protesters with brutality", in an operation he described as "criminal".
Speaking to the Lusa news agency on Thursday, the spokesperson insisted that the protest was "authorised until the 20th".
Porto City Council vows to be 'absolutely ruthless'
Before the police operation, Porto City Council had already warned that it would prevent any form of camping in the city.
"It is obvious that Praça D. João I is not a campsite and will not be turned into one. We will be absolutely ruthless with any attempt to erect tents in that area," Porto's mayor said on the sidelines of the Fábrica 2030 conference, as quoted by Lusa.
Pedro Duarte said that the "right to demonstrate is not in question", but that it "cannot clash with the freedom of everyone else in the city".
"Portuguese law is very clear and states that demonstrations cannot continue beyond a certain time, generally 12.30 am," he added.