Latest news and stories about protest in Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Those arrested face charges of resisting police action, disobedience, and setting fire to street furniture
Thousands of teachers marched in Lisbon today in a protest organized by the National Federation of Teachers (Federação Nacional dos Professores or Fenprof). The demonstrators expressed opposition to the government's proposed labour package and the revision of the Teaching Career Statute (Estatuto da Carreira Docente), while also announcing their participation in a general strike scheduled for June 3rd.
Update: Teachers confirm participation in June 3rd general strike
Thousands of teachers gathered in Lisbon this Saturday to protest against the government's proposed labour reforms and the revision of the Teaching Career Statute. During the demonstration, Fenprof officially confirmed that teachers will join the national general strike scheduled for June 3rd.
Fenprof is the National Federation of Teachers (Federação Nacional dos Professores), the main public‑school teachers' union in Portugal that represents teachers in pay, working conditions and education reforms. Its criticism matters because Fenprof can organize strikes and mobilise teachers, which directly affects school operations and the implementation of government changes — something families and expat educators should monitor.
The Teaching Career Statute (Estatuto da Carreira Docente) is the law that sets how teachers are recruited, evaluated, promoted and dismissed in Portugal. The proposed revision matters because it would introduce a centralised national competition for entry, a one-year trial period and an exceptional route for teachers without formal qualifications, changes that affect job access and stability for current and future teachers.
The Permanent Coordinating Commission (CCP), representing major security force unions including the Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública or PSP) and the National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana or GNR), has announced a national protest for April 16. The demonstration will take place in front of the Prime Minister's residence in Lisbon to oppose legislative changes since 2005 that have reduced pension values for security personnel.
The PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública) is Portugal's national civilian police force, founded in 1867. Responsible for defending Republican democracy and safeguarding internal security and citizens' rights, the PSP polices major cities—Lisbon, Porto, Faro—and large urban areas, covering only 4% of Portugal's territory but roughly half the population. Led by a National Director under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, its approximately 21,500 officers handle preventive policing, crime investigation, public order, airport security, diplomatic protection, private security regulation, firearms licensing, and border control (since 2023).
PSP vs. GNR: The PSP is civilian with police-focused training and urban jurisdiction, while the GNR (Guarda Nacional Republicana) is military (gendarmerie) with military training, covering 96% of Portugal's rural and suburban territory. Both share core public safety missions but differ fundamentally in nature, training, and geographic responsibility.
The GNR (Guarda Nacional Republicana) is Portugal's national gendarmerie—a military police force founded in 1911, with origins dating to 1801. With over 22,600 personnel, GNR patrols 94-96% of Portuguese territory, covering rural areas, medium towns, and highways. Members are military personnel subject to military law, responsible for public order, customs, coastal control, environmental protection (SEPNA), firefighting/rescue (GIPS), border control, and ceremonial guards. GNR vs. PSP: The PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública) is Portugal's civilian police force, covering major cities (Lisbon, Porto, Faro) and large urban areas—only 4% of territory but roughly half the population. PSP handles airport security, diplomatic protection, and private security regulation. Both share core missions (public order, crime prevention), but differ in nature: GNR is military with military training; PSP is civilian with police-focused training.
More than 100 collectives have organized a series of protests under the slogan “It's not enough” (Já não dá) to demand better access to affordable housing. The demonstrations, scheduled for the coming weekend in several cities, show the growing gap between wages and rental prices. Organizers argue that recent government measures have failed to protect tenants from irregular rent increases and precarious living conditions. Tenants and those seeking housing should be aware of the protests in major urban centers.
Cultural mediators from the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) are striking at the Government headquarters in Lisbon to demand permanent employment status and salary equality, protesting the ministry's reliance on precarious labor.
The Portuguese Federation for Life is demanding that a Molotov cocktail attack on their recent March for Life be prosecuted as an act of terrorism, following the arrest of a suspect linked to an anarchist group.
“We do not accept an unjust ruling,” the movement states. The demonstration is scheduled for next Saturday afternoon at Largo de São Domingos in Lisbon.
The S.TO.P. union will hold a meeting for teachers outside the Portuguese Parliament building.
The PSP states that 80 to 90% of the protesters are already known for illicit activities.
The school community has been out of the Convento dos Caetanos for eight years, waiting for the works to be completed. This Monday, they will hold a protest-concert near the ministry to demand answers.
There are people who do not give up fighting for their rights and those are the ones who count.
All six protesters arrested near parliament on Wednesday, following the CGTP demonstration on the day of the general strike, were released with an identity and residence requirement.
At least six people were arrested on Wednesday near parliament in Lisbon at the end of the CGTP demonstration, following clashes with the PSP.
Those arrested are charged with disobedience, resistance, and coercion against a public official.
The activist network points to around 10 detainees and over 50 identified individuals. It reports arrests inside police vehicles and the obstruction of a vigil at the Lapa Police Station, and demands a public clarification.
Tiago Oliveira argued that the clashes with the PSP near Parliament diverted focus from the general strike's demands. He also guaranteed that no member of the union was involved in the clashes with the PSP.
With six detainees charged with disobedience and resisting arrest, the Ministry of Internal Administration rejected any tolerance for violence or defiance against the authorities.
The PSP confirmed to CM that firecrackers were detonated during clashes at protests on the day of a general strike, where one police officer was injured. The Lisbon Fire Department had to be called to extinguish fires in rubbish bins.
The PSP took protesters who were resisting at the doors of the Assembly of the Republic to the police station, as part of the demonstrations on the day of the general strike.
The situation spiralled out of control in the vicinity of the Assembly of the Republic after protesters continued to clash with the PSP. Three people have already been detained.
The gathering at Campo Pequeno brought together dozens of people, concluding a week that included protest actions, a supermarket raid, and the painting of murals.
The action was intended to protest against the profits of large retail chains in the context of fossil fuel war and to draw attention to the effects of climate change on food supplies.
The movement explains that a dozen supporters entered the Continente store in Campo Pequeno and took food and personal hygiene items, leaving without paying and distributing these goods at a stall near the Oriente station.
The “Há fado no coreto” initiative, a protest against the construction of a luxury hotel at the Quartel da Graça, has been rescheduled for this Saturday. The citizens' assembly wants the site to be used for public facilities.
The protest against the construction of a luxury hotel at the former Quartel da Graça in Lisbon, scheduled for this Saturday afternoon, May 9, featuring fado music in front of the public building, has been cancelled due to forecasts of rain and strong winds. According to an organization source, the 'Há fado no coreto' event was postponed due to the weather alert, with a new date to be announced as soon as possible. The Lisbon district is currently under a yellow weather warning for heavy rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds. The protest was organised by a citizens' assembly opposing the Sana hotel group's project, which remains committed to challenging the development despite acknowledging the difficulty of stopping it.
The event was postponed due to the weather warning, and a new date will be announced as soon as possible, according to an organization source.
Thousands of people are marking Labour Day today on the streets of Lisbon, where they are demonstrating against the labour package and with the general strike scheduled for June 3rd on the horizon.
