By Sergio Goncalves and Rodrigo Antunes
LISBON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Thousands of housing protesters returned to one of Lisbon's main squares on Saturday, stepping up pressure on Portugal's minority centre-right government to scrap a rental bill they say would worsen the country's affordability crisis.
Portugal is grappling with one of Europe's worst housing crises, with young people among those hardest hit. House prices have more than doubled since 2017 and rents for new leases have nearly doubled.
Organisers said several thousand people packed Rossio Square in central Lisbon. Police gave no crowd estimate.
Housing protests have intensified in recent weeks. Police have been criticized for baton-charging demonstrators and arresting dozens while clearing a similar tent camp in the same square a week ago.
Rita Silva, a spokesperson for housing movement Casa para Viver, told public broadcaster RTP that "people are showing enormous perseverance, strength and determination" after weeks of protests over the housing crisis, rising living costs and "the enormous difficulty of making a living today".
"We are not seeing any willingness from the government to listen ...the demonstrations will continue," she said.
The unrest mirrors protests across Spain, France, Germany and elsewhere in Europe over soaring housing costs.
Interior Minister Luis Neves said the government respected the legitimacy of the protests but expected them to be held "with order, civility" and "in compliance with the law."
SCRAP THE BILL
The protesters are demanding the government scrap a bill making evictions easier and ending rent caps on new leases, which passed a first parliamentary reading with the abstention of the far-right Chega party.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Thursday ruled out scrapping the bill but said he was open to amending it ahead of a final vote in coming weeks, saying parties "have to move closer" while making clear "the main line of action is the government's programme".
Socialist Party leader Jose Luis Carneiro urged the government on Saturday to engage in talks with opposition parties and protesters rather than "arrogantly imposing its views, sometimes even with authoritarian overtones".
(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves and Rodrigo Antunes; Editing by David Gregorio)
