Helena Roseta, an architect and former member of Portugal’s Constituent Assembly, has been regularly attending popular assemblies in Lisbon’s Praça D. Pedro IV. She describes the encampments for the right to housing as “manifestations of collective intelligence” taking shape through participation and debate.
Roseta said the gatherings bring together people from different backgrounds, including what she called “a squeezed middle class” and young people who are politically engaged, demanding and seeking urgent change. Many participants, she added, had never attended a demonstration before, while others were taking part in politics for the first time.
She rejected the idea that the movement is being driven by left-wing parties, saying some participants have not found a way to take part through existing political organisations. Roseta urged government officials to attend the protests and listen to demonstrators, arguing that the government has misread what is happening.
The former lawmaker also said President António José Seguro has a central role during a period of social tension, including using his influence to encourage dialogue. She praised his office for indicating that it wants to hear from housing protesters. Roseta, meanwhile, called for the interior minister to be replaced, criticising his handling of the situation.
Roseta said the right to demonstrate and the right to housing are protected by the Constitution, which she helped draft. She cited its provision that the state should establish a rent system compatible with family income, and questioned whether current measures address the immediate pressure on households.
She criticised a proposed urban rental law, which had passed its first parliamentary vote with support from PSD and CDS-PP and an abstention by Chega. Roseta argued that it runs counter to the Constitution, saying it could allow rents to rise further and make evictions faster.
Roseta described the movement as an emerging social force marked by indignation and anger, but also by an effort to organise outside the traditional party model. She called this a form of democratic innovation and said society needs to learn to develop shared leadership rather than rely on conventional top-down structures.
Sources: Observador.