Protests over soaring housing costs have intensified in Portugal in recent weeksImage: Filipe Amorim/AFP

Police on Sunday cleared out protest camps in Portugal's capital, Lisbon, and Porto after thousands of housing protesters marched against a rental bill.

Around 4:30 a.m. local time (0430 GMT), ‌dozens of officers moved in to dismantle camps in Lisbon's Rossio Square and Porto's Dom Joao I Square, where participants had set up tents following peaceful marches against soaring housing costs on Saturday.

Police used shields and batons to disperse protesters, and said some of the demonstrators threw bottles and paint at officers as they stormed the camps. 

Dozens were reportedly injured after riot police clashed with housing protestersImage: Filipe Amorim/AFP

Police arrest 13 in Lisbon, Porto

Six people were arrested in Lisbon and seven in Porto for refusing orders to disperse, according to a police statement. It said 13 police were injured as they tried to take down the camps, with eight taken to hospital.

The statement also said an unspecified number of civilians were also injured.

Meanwhile, one of the lawyers representing those detained in Porto said the police response was disproportionate, arguing that both the size of the operation and the actions were excessive.

Activist group Acampada Lisboa said more than 30 protesters were injured, including 10 who required hospital treatment.

It called a fresh rally against the police operation in the capital on Sunday afternoon. "We will not be silenced," the group said in a statement posted on social media. 

Portugal's housing crisis

Hours before the eviction, more than 1,000 people marched through central Lisbon to protest against Portugal's deepening housing crisis.

Demonstrators are calling for the country's minority center-right government to scrap plans that would make evictions easier and end rent caps on new leases.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has ruled out withdrawing the bill, though he has acknowledged that modifications could be made before the final vote.

Portugal is facing one of Europe's most severe housing crises, with house prices more than doubling since 2017.