Four Cities March Against Rents and Prices on Saturday: Where Protesters Meet in Aveiro, Braga, Lisbon and Porto

Protesters take to the streets of four Portuguese cities this afternoon over the cost of living and housing. The platform behind the protests, "Não dá mais para viver assim" ("We can't go on living like this"), brings together more than 30 organisations, from trade unions to housing rights groups and associations working on gender equality, anti-racism, climate action and social inclusion.

Where and when

• Aveiro: 15:30, Praça Doutor Joaquim de Melo Freitas.
• Braga: 17:00, at the bandstand on the Avenida Central.
• Lisbon: 17:00, Largo do Intendente.
• Porto: 17:00, Praça de D. João I.

The times and meeting points are those announced by the platform, as reported by Lusa. Anyone driving or taking the bus near these squares on Saturday evening should allow extra time; in Lisbon, the Largo do Intendente sits just off the Avenida Almirante Reis, one of the city's main north to south routes.

What they are asking for

"For years we have been squeezed by rising housing prices and the cost of living," the movement says in its statement. Its demands fall into three groups:

• Prices: controls on the prices of essential goods and fuel.
• Taxes: a levy on the windfall profits of large banking, energy and retail companies.
• Housing: caps on rents and limits on rises in mortgage payments, more public housing, and an end to tax breaks it says encourage financial speculation.

"Rents and mortgage payments are going up and the government keeps applying measures that make prices rise," the platform argues. It accuses the executive of failing to act and says that "those who govern" must "protect the population once and for all". Its statement ends: "We will not pay for this crisis any more."

The backdrop

The protests come in a week dominated by the 2027 State Budget, which the government says leaves people with more money in their pockets and which the opposition parties are still weighing. Parliament voted unanimously on Friday to keep the fuel-tax discount until 31 December, one of the issues the platform raises.

Housing remains the sharpest pressure. Eurostat figures published at the start of the month showed Portugal topping the EU for house price growth again, with prices up 16.5 percent in a year against 4.7 percent across the Union.

Protests on housing have drawn large crowds in Portugal's cities in recent years, and today's organisers are pitching this as a joint response to both rents and everyday prices rather than to a single measure. The platform has not published an estimate of expected turnout.

If you want to take part

Demonstrations in Portugal are protected by the Constitution and do not need authorisation, though organisers must give the council advance notice. Foreign residents may take part too. As at any large gathering, keep your documents with you, stay with the people you came with, and follow the instructions of police on the day.