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Portuguese police clear housing protest camps in Lisbon and Porto

More than 30 people were arrested as officers with dogs and batons removed at least 100 tents in the capital and about 50 in Porto.

Portuguese police clear housing protest camps in Lisbon and Porto
Photograph: Photograph: José Sena Goulão/EPA

What to know

  • Police moved on the camps in the early hours of Sunday, baton-charging campaigners.
  • At least 100 tents were cleared in central Lisbon and about 50 in Porto.
  • The camps were inspired by similar housing protests in Spain.

Portuguese police dismantled housing protest camps in Lisbon and Porto in the early hours of Sunday, using dogs and batons and arresting more than 30 people. Officers cleared at least 100 tents in central Lisbon and about 50 in Porto. The camps were part of days of clashes between police and campaigners protesting the country's deepening housing crisis.

The raids followed similar tent camps in Spain that inspired the Portuguese protests. It was not immediately clear what charges those arrested might face or whether the camps would be re-established. Campaigners have not said how they plan to respond, and the government has not commented publicly on the operation.

Reporting credit

Written by the NationsDesk desk. The underlying reporting is by The Guardian.

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