Protest in Lisbon to urge the government that “it’s no longer possible” to own a home

Lisbon, March 21 (EFE).- Portuguese citizens from sixteen cities took to the streets this Saturday in several demonstrations under the slogan “It’s no longer possible” to denounce real estate speculation and call on the center-right government to adopt measures to facilitate access to housing.

CAMERA: SUSANA SAMHAN.

FOOTAGE OF THE PROTEST IN LISBON (PORTUGAL) AGAINST REAL ESTATE SPECULATION AND CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT TO TAKE MEASURES TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO HOUSING, HELD TODAY IN LISBON.

STATEMENTS BY RAQUEL AND DANIELA, SOCIAL WORKERS; BY THE SPOKESPERSON FOR CASA PARA VIVER, ALEXANDRA MELO; AND BY JOÃO PEDRO, A RETIREE.

TRANSLATIONS:

1. Raquel:

“Let's be real—we could even (rent a house), but it's not worth the effort. The measures that have been taken for young people are real and good, but they're not enough.”

2. Daniela:

“They’re insufficient, and we could even afford to rent a house, but we’d only be able to do so, as my friend says, at such a high cost that we’d end up living in much worse conditions than if we lived with our parents.”

3. Alexandra Melo:

"The goal (of this demonstration) is to put pressure on the government, which has taken various measures and adopted stances that, in our view, only worsen and fuel the housing crisis—that is, rental prices and prices per square meter have only gone up. Therefore, today, the price per square meter is close to 5,000 euros, and rent is well above Portugal’s minimum wage, which is nearly 900 euros.”

4. João Pedro:

“A few years ago, it was the children who supported their parents; now that is no longer the case. The present and future generations face a cruel life, which is why we must rebel against this; we cannot let this continue.”