POLICE CLEAR CAMPS IN CENTRAL LISBON AND PORTO

LISBON, NOVEMBER 1 /SRNA/ - Police cleared protest camps in Lisbon and Porto after thousands of demonstrators marched against the rental law.

Police began dismantling the camps at around 4:30 a.m. local time today in Rossio Square in Lisbon and Dom João I Square in Porto, where participants had pitched tents following peaceful marches against rising housing costs.

Police used shields and batons to disperse the demonstrators, saying that some of them had thrown bottles and paint at officers.

Riot police clashed with demonstrators in Rossio Square in central Lisbon overnight, with dozens of people reportedly injured.

Six people were arrested in Lisbon and seven in Porto for refusing to obey orders to disperse. Police said that 13 officers were injured while attempting to dismantle the camps, and eight of them were taken to hospital.

The statement also said that an unspecified number of civilians had been injured.

Meanwhile, one of the lawyers representing those detained in Porto said the police response had been disproportionate, arguing that both the scale of the operation and the actions taken had been excessive.

The activist group "Acampada Lisboa" said that more than 30 demonstrators had been injured, including 10 who required hospital treatment, Deutsche Welle reports.

They called for another rally this afternoon to protest the police operation in the capital.

"We will not be silenced," the group said in a statement posted on social media.

The demonstrators are calling on the center-right government to abandon plans that would make evictions easier and lift rent caps on new leases.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro ruled out withdrawing the bill, although he acknowledged that amendments could be made before the final vote.

Portugal is facing one of the most severe housing crises in Europe, with house prices more than doubling since 2017.