US Embassy Issues Portugal Protest Alert as Police Clear Lisbon and Porto Camps for Second Weekend

The US Embassy issued a Portugal protest alert on Sunday as police again cleared housing camps in Lisbon and Porto. Officers moved into both city squares before dawn, dismantling tents and arresting 13 people.

The warning advised Americans to avoid Rossio Square in Lisbon and Praça Dom João I in Porto. The operations followed demonstrations against rising rents and proposed changes to housing laws.

Campaigners have since voted to return with tents after a court ruling involving one protester.

The latest clearances followed similar police operations on Sunday, 25 October, when 31 people were arrested across the two cities. Thousands had marched again on Saturday, 31 October, demanding more affordable housing and opposing government proposals they fear would weaken tenants' protections.

US Embassy Warns Americans to Avoid Two Protest Squares

In its 1 November security alert, the US Embassy warned that housing and cost-of-living demonstrations were continuing across Portugal. Its advice was specific. 'Avoid Rossio Square in Lisbon and Dom João Square in Porto.'

Embassy officials said protest routes could change without warning and gatherings might take place outside previously planned areas. They noted that police had recently used crowd-control measures, including tear gas, without saying the tactic was used in the 1 November clearances.

Americans were urged to monitor local reporting, avoid large demonstrations and remain aware of their surroundings.

The alert was not a blanket warning against travel to Portugal. The State Department's separate countrywide travel advisory remained at Level 1, 'Exercise normal precautions'. Travellers were also encouraged to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for security updates.

Police Clear Lisbon and Porto Camps for Second Weekend

Portugal's Public Security Police said operations began at about 4.30 a.m. on 1 November at Rossio Square and Praça Dom João I. Municipal authorities removed 69 camping structures in Lisbon and 30 in Porto.

Police said the structures had been installed without the necessary authorisation and orders to disperse had not been obeyed.

Six people were arrested in Lisbon and seven in Porto for allegedly disobeying dispersal orders. Police reported 13 injured officers, including eight who required hospital treatment. They also acknowledged civilian injuries but said they could not establish a reliable total at that stage.

Protest group Acampada Lisboa claimed more than 30 demonstrators were injured, including 10 who needed hospital treatment. That figure has not been independently confirmed.

Police said some protesters threw bottles, pyrotechnics and paint, and defended their operations as lawful and proportionate.

Socialist lawmaker Pedro Delgado Alves criticised the intervention, saying nothing justified 'a police intervention involving force, physical violence or baton charges'. The force used during the clearances has drawn criticism from protesters and opposition politicians.

A week earlier, police had arrested 25 people in Lisbon and six in Porto. An updated police statement recorded 11 minor injuries, including three officers, during those operations.

Portugal's internal affairs watchdog opened an inquiry, while prosecutors separately began examining police conduct. Those investigations do not establish wrongdoing.

Housing Crisis and Rental Law at the Centre of Protests

The protests challenge proposed legislation that would speed up evictions and remove rent caps on new leases. The measure passed an initial parliamentary reading, with the far-right Chega party abstaining.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has rejected demands to withdraw it, although he has indicated amendments could be considered.

Pressure on renters has built over years. Home prices have more than doubled since 2017 and rents on new leases have nearly doubled, according to published figures.

The Bank of Portugal has estimated a national housing shortfall of 300,000 homes. Campaigners say the proposed changes would make an already difficult market less affordable.

Thousands rallied outside parliament on 27 October to protest both the housing proposals and the previous police clearances. Montenegro defended the police response, saying officers had acted according to principles of necessity and proportionality. Activists continued to question the use of force.

Court Ruling Opens Another Chapter in Rossio Dispute

The dispute took another turn after Lisbon's Administrative Court allowed activist Renata Cambra to remain overnight at Rossio with a tent under specified conditions. The permission could apply until 24 November.

The court did not determine whether a broader collective encampment was lawful.

At a meeting on Monday night, housing activists voted 163 to six to return to Rossio with tents on Tuesday, 3 November. Several demonstrators erected tents after the gathering, but a larger camp had not taken shape by early Tuesday.

The Interior Ministry stressed that the ruling concerned an individual case, not general permission for camping in public spaces. The planned return leaves police and campaigners facing another test over the use of public squares.

For Americans in Lisbon and Porto, the embassy's advice remains to avoid the identified locations during protests and monitor local updates. The wider dispute over housing policy and the right to demonstrate remains unresolved.