Marcelo considers the demonstrations “important and for a good cause”

The President of the Republic considered that the demonstrations that took place this Saturday throughout the country against the housing crisis were “important because they serve a good cause and are a sign that democracy is alive.”

“In a democracy, demonstrations are a fundamental right (…), a sign that democracy is alive,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa upon his arrival at the 26th Congress of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP), held in Seixal. , in the Setúbal area.

According to the head of state, these demonstrations show that people want to solve the housing problem and speed up the process of solving it.

“The important thing is that, whether you agree or not, the demonstrations will be peaceful,” he said.

Confirming that the demonstrations are synonymous with “democracy, freedom and pluralism,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stressed that the housing problem is “an obvious cause” for all Portuguese.

Moreover, the fact that there are demonstrations across the country involving people of different ages and backgrounds shows that “the whole country is waking up to this.”

The head of state said that one of the latest reasons for the increase in homelessness is related to housing.

The Casa para Viver and Their Time to Pay platforms are promoting a series of demonstrations for housing rights and climate justice this Saturday.

“We are fighting for the right to housing and the right to stay in housing, for a decent life for all people and for action to stop the climate crisis. These are two battles against capital, which puts speculation and profit above life,” according to information disseminated by both platforms.

Protests began on Saturday morning in Barreiro, Beja, Évora, Portalegre and Tavira.

In the afternoon, in addition to Lisbon, demonstrations took place in Porto, Aveiro, Braga, Coimbra, Covilha, Guimarães, Lagos, Leiria, Portimão, Viseu, Zamora Correia and Alcácer do Sale.