Portugal's housing protests spread to Lisbon and Porto as tent camps and clashes erupt over soaring rents

Housing protests in Portugal have escalated into tent encampments and clashes with police, with demonstrators in Porto questioning the prime minister's own property holdings. The movement has spread to Lisbon and other cities amid soaring rents. The protest's core is Porto, where police intervention on October 14-15 injured 37 people, two seriously. Demonstrators have rejected political affiliations, citing Portugal's constitutional right to protest, while the government cites a law banning public protests after 0:30. The housing crisis stems from population growth, tax incentives attracting pensioners, and a lack of public housing. Rents for a studio apartment in Porto or Lisbon now equal an average salary, forcing young people to stay with family and low-wage workers to leave urban centers.