Portuguese Parliament considers review of 1974 protest law

The Attorney General of Portugal, Amadeu Guerra, has challenged the Assembly of the Republic to review the 1974 decree-law that regulates the right to protest. This challenge follows recent police interventions in Lisbon and Porto, where authorities used force to disperse housing rights demonstrations held in the early morning hours.

Guerra stated that while the law remains in force, the Parliament is the competent body to consider legislative changes. He noted that he does not currently see an evident need to request a constitutional review from the Constitutional Court, suggesting that legislative changes should not merely react to specific recent events.

Political reactions are divided. The PSD and PS parties consider it premature to discuss changes, preferring to wait for the results of investigations by the General Inspection of Internal Administration (IGAI) regarding the police conduct during the housing protests. Meanwhile, the Chega party has called for immediate changes, and the PAN party intends to propose amendments allowing protests after 00:30. Other parties, including Livre, PCP, and BE, argue that the current law is sufficient to protect protesters' rights.