On September 30, the civic platforms Casa para Viver and Their Time to Pay converged in a demonstration for housing and climate justice, and against precariousness and the rising cost of living. In Lisbon, thousands of people marched down Almirante Reis. In two dozen other cities, there were also protests.
The main pretext for taking to the streets this Saturday afternoon and walking along Avenida Almirante Reis from one end to the other was the housing. But on the agenda of the second demonstration promoted by the civic platform House to Live In added other themes, such as climate change, in the wake of a link with the global movement Their Time To Pay.
For three hours, the demonstrators didn't just ask for houses to live in, but essentially for a country to live in - with affordable housing, yes, but also with an adequate response to climate challenges and, above all, with quality of life and well-being. The demonstration also focused on real estate speculation and how it has pushed social and cultural projects out of squares like Intendente.
This Saturday's demonstration turned out to be a great generational cry, despite bringing together several different generations - and just as many different people. The teachers were present, even though housing is also a problems in this profession. Just like the more left-wing parties: BE, Livre, PCP and Volt.
Many phrases were repeated, such as "landlord is not a profession" or "a house is for living in, not for speculation" - messages that accompanied conversations, meetings and discussions, some deeper than others. There was a broken shop window in a real estate agency and a provocation from Chega at the beginning of the meeting - moments that only serve to distract us from the importance of housing as a constitutional right and a future built collectively and consensually. And now it's up to the government to act.
