Thousands of people, mainly concentrated in Lisbon and Porto, paraded through the streets of several Portuguese cities this Saturday, demanding the right to housing. The parades were mobilized by the ‘Home to Live, Planet to Live’ platform, which unites more than a hundred grassroots associations and collectives, mainly linked to the right to housing and the fight against climate change.
After the first demonstration, held on April 1 in seven cities, the protests spread this Saturday to at least 22 cities, in addition to Lisbon and Porto: Alcácer do Sal, Aveiro, Barreiro, Beja, Braga, Coimbra, Covilhã, Évora, Faro , Funchal , Guarda, Guimarães, Lagos, Leiria, Nazaré, Portalegre, Portimão, Porto, Samora Correia, Tavira, Torres Novas, Vila Real and Viseu.
The parliamentary parties to the left of the PS were present at the Lisbon parade, between Alameda and Rossio, and were represented at the highest level: Paulo Raimundo, general secretary of the PCP, Mariana Mortágua, coordinator of the Bloco de Esquerda, and Rui Tavares , spokesperson for Livre. Chega tried to make news by sending three deputies to the Lisbon parade, right at the start, at 3 p.m., in Alameda – and succeeded. Filipe Melo, Rui Paulo Sousa and Jorge Galveias were met with boos and insults. The PSP provided them with an impressive circle of protection, legitimizing the idea that their physical integrity was at risk. It was at the request of the police that the three parliamentarians left the demonstration: “We decided to stop the demonstration at the request of the security forces and with respect for the work they do, because otherwise we would not do it,” explains Filipe . Melo.
Another incident took place on Avenida Almirante Reis, but this happened, as far as we know, without any police intervention. Armed with hammers, three demonstrators smashed the window of a real estate agency.
It is no coincidence that the President of the Republic chose exactly this day to promulgate the government law that created the ‘More Housing’ program. He was obliged to do this after the absolute PS majority in parliament completely ignored the reasons that led Marcelo to veto the diploma in August and completely reaffirmed it, without changing a single point.
Speaking in Seixal, while attending a congress of the ANMP (National Association of Portuguese Municipalities), the President of the Republic expressed his agreement with the reasons for the protest. These – he said – are “important, for a good cause” demonstrations and also represent a sign that “democracy is alive”. “In democracy, demonstrating is a fundamental right (…), it is a sign that democracy is alive,” the president said, downplaying the incident involving Chega deputies. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also recalled that there is little time left until the end of the legislature and that “putting a housing policy on track” and implementing it on several fronts takes time. “It’s about local authorities, it’s about the preparation of projects, it’s about administrative contracts, it’s about a series of realities, some of which are already underway and others will have to move forward quickly,” he stressed – but added admits that if “More Housing” goes well, it will be “good news for everyone”.
Premier holds cameras accountable
In the morning, the Prime Minister, also on the sidelines of the ANMP congress, had emphasized that it is municipal councils and not the government that are responsible for determining local housing strategies. “It is not the state, it is not the government that is responsible for saying what the best strategy is for each of the municipalities. It is each council’s responsibility to say and define what the best local housing strategy is,” the spokesperson said. head of government.
António Costa recalled that the municipal reality is very diverse and that the way they ensure that all families have access to a decent home therefore depends very much on the municipal strategy. As he emphasized, there are municipalities that believe that this strategy should be based on the construction of new housing, others that believe that it should be based on promoting cooperatives and others that believe that this should be done through the acquisition of homes already on the market. . And for the state to create the legal and financial instruments so that local strategies can move forward.
Source: DN
