Mark Rutte meets Vodolymyr Zelensky in Brussels ahead of European Union summit.
During a meeting on Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte tacitly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to implement the “energy ceasefire” announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Good to see President Zelensky in Brussels. We talked about the importance of implementing an energy ceasefire,” Rutte said in a social media message accompanied by a photograph with the Ukrainian leader, who is in the Belgian capital to attend a European Union summit on Friday as a guest.
Rutte also said they discussed “NATO allies’ continued support for Ukraine,” among other things through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism, launched by the alliance so that allies can buy U.S. military materiel to send to Kyiv.
Through social media, Zelensky said the meeting with Rutte served to continue coordinating with NATO “greater protection and security for Ukraine.” He took the opportunity to blame Russia for having broken the energy ceasefire through attacks on energy infrastructure.
⚡️ On October 15 in Baku, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov directly rejected any potential ceasefire in Ukraine, explicitly countering US President Donald Trump’s October 11 announcement of an energy truce. pic.twitter.com/CB4Md9VTkN
He also complained about restrictions on Starlink satellite operations in Ukraine, asked that arms supplies to Ukraine continue, and insisted on the need to receive ballistic missile interceptors and ammunition for F16 aircraft.
The Brussels meeting comes a day after Russia launched an attack against three thermal power plants operating in the Kiev region and an attack against energy facilities in Kharkiv.
In statements to the Financial Times, Zelensky reaffirmed his willingness to continue the conflict and announced that “the ban (on attacking Russian refineries) has been lifted. That is enough.”
On Thursday, Russia confirmed that Ukraine attacked a refinery in Ryazan, a region 200 kilometers from Moscow. Yesterday, Russian authorities also denounced Ukrainian attacks on two other refineries in the Saratov and Ryazan regions.
The Kremlin assured that Russia has not violated any agreement given that the energy truce between Russia and Ukraine was never finalized.
The agreement will allow CNN to receive compensation for the use of its intellectual property.
On Thursday, U.S. television network CNN announced an agreement with technology company Google to integrate generative artificial intelligence technologies into its news platforms.
“With this partnership, we are opening new avenues for audiences to access CNN’s exceptional journalism while receiving compensation for the distribution and use of our exclusive intellectual property in connection with AI products,” stated Sam Felix, senior vice president of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development.
The agreement will allow the use of experimental features designed to analyze and enhance audience engagement by exploring new ways to consume and distribute journalistic content.
“Google’s innovation in generative AI has transformed the way people discover information and content, and these tools will now help us explore new ways to be discovered and connect with audiences,” Felix added.
Of course, The Jakarta Globe asked me how I see AI tools influencing newsrooms — both in terms of opportunities and risks.
The U.S. network explained that its partnership with Google is part of the company’s AI strategy, “which ensures the protection of its intellectual property.”
The agreement is also part of a broader pilot program by the technology company to incorporate its AI technology to drive traffic to media outlets.
“CNN’s deal comes months after it sued Perplexity AI for copyright infringement after both companies failed to reach a licensing deal, its first legal case against an AI company over the unauthorized use of its journalism. At the time, a CNN spokesperson said the network ‘actively embraces the opportunities AI creates,’” Variety recalled.
“It also reflects the impact Google’s AI summaries in its search engine have had on news organizations, many of which have highlighted how the responses have eaten into their web traffic. Penske Media Corporation, the parent company of Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone and more, sued Google last year over the decline, though a federal judge dismissed the case earlier this month,” it added.
They appeared before Judge Hellerstein after the U.S. Attorney’s Office accused them of ‘conspiracy to commit torture.’
On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and legislator Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to the new charges filed against them by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Oct. 8.
They appeared in the Southern District Court of New York before Judge Alvin Hellerstein after the Attorney’s Office accused them of “conspiracy to commit torture” and extended the charge of “conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism” to Flores. The latter charge, however, had only weighed against Maduro.
When asked by the judge about the charge of “conspiracy to commit torture,” Maduro pleaded not guilty and asserted that the charges are based on “false accusations and testimony against his person.” His wife, Flores, declared herself “completely innocent” and “not guilty” of the new charges.
Both told the judge they had been informed by their attorneys of the new indictment and had received a copy of it in Spanish. This was one of the few times both could be heard speaking since they were brought before the U.S. justice system in January.
After their statement, the hearing focused on the schedule ahead. The judge postponed the start of the trial until June 14, 2027, which initially had been set for June 1.
No other hearing is expected to be held until December. The last hearing before the trial begins will take place on June 7. The defense requested more time to prepare its response to the new indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Following the new indictment, Maduro and Flores are charged with conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S., possession and conspiracy to possess weapons of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit torture.
⚖️ La defensa del presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro, secuestrado durante una operación militar en Caracas, pidió desestimar el caso en su contra en Estados Unidos, con base en la inmunidad soberana, según el archivo judicial digital.#teleSUR#Venezuela#EEUUpic.twitter.com/BmCjAbnLsj
The text reads, “The defense team for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro—who was seized during a military operation in Caracas—has requested the dismissal of the U.S. case against him, citing sovereign immunity, according to digital court records.”
A Maneuver to Extend Their Imprisonment
Legal analysts consider that the “conspiracy to commit torture” charge would seek to prevent the case against Maduro and Flores from collapsing given that there is no overwhelming evidence to cover multiple legal gaps.
The Attorney’s Office was forced to remove from the indictment the argument that President Maduro led the nonexistent Cartel of the Suns, which during the months before the invasion of Venezuelan soil the White House presented as a platform for drug trafficking.
On Oct. 8, Judge Hellerstein denied the request by Flores’ defense to grant her bail and allow her to serve pretrial detention under house arrest at a private residence in New York.
The defense’s request was based on the deterioration of Flores’ cardiac health — she turns 70 on Oct. 15 — with episodes of chest pain, arrhythmias and a weight loss of more than 11 kilos since her kidnapping.
Her defense attorneys stated that she requires medical treatment and recovery outside of prison, and included GPS monitoring and other security measures.
The magistrate argued that there is an alleged risk of flight. In addition, he noted that the guarantees offered are insufficient.
Upon presenting the new charge, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche — who was an attorney for President Donald Trump and is known for the political instrumentalization of the judicial system — stated:
“A new indictment has just been unsealed that replaces the previous one, charging Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores with conspiracy to commit torture, including the alleged torture of U.S. citizens over more than two decades.”
From the first moment of this case, Maduro questioned the legality of the kidnapping and invoked sovereign immunity. “I am the president of Venezuela, I consider myself a prisoner of war,” he stated during the first hearing of the trial. For her part, Flores claimed immunity as first lady.
Added to the above are objections from the legal team defending them, which has objected to the legality of the kidnapping, questioned the territorial jurisdiction of U.S. courts and denounced the blocking of licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for the financing by the Venezuelan government of their legal fees. Defense attorneys Barry Pollack and Mark Donnelly denounced those obstacles as violations of the Sixth Amendment.
In September, Deputy Attorney Jason A. Richman, co-chief of National Security of the Federal Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, submitted his resignation amid questions over the judicial proceedings against the Venezuelan leaders.
Richman, who led and supervised the indictment against Maduro and Flores from its earliest stages, sent a letter to Hellerstein informing him that he is leaving the Federal Attorney’s Office as of Sept. 25. He offered no further details.
The official’s resignation is considered in legal circles as a significant loss for the U.S. government’s strategy and occurred less than nine months before the trial against Maduro and Flores, scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027, in the Southern District Court of Manhattan.
Manifestación en Brooklyn en apoyo el presidente venezolano, Nicolas Maduro y su esposa Cilia Flores. pic.twitter.com/5QjStnhDep
The text reads, “Demonstration in Brooklyn in support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.”
Brief Chronology of the Case
Jan. 3, 2026: After bombing Caracas and other Venezuelan cities, U.S. special forces kidnap President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores and illegally transfer them to the United States. The invasion left more than a hundred people killed, including civilians and military personnel, and a similar number of wounded. Delcy Rodriguez, then executive vice president, assumes as acting president.
Jan. 5: Maduro and Flores attend their first appearance in New York. Both plead not guilty and are held at the Federal Detention Center in Brooklyn.
July: Attorney’s Office and defense agree that the oral trial will begin on June 1, 2027, with a prior hearing on Nov. 17.
Sept. 9: Cilia Flores’ defense requests bail and house arrest. The judge orders medical records to remain sealed.
Sept. 25: Deputy Attorney Jason A. Richman resigns.
Oct. 8: Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejects the request for bail for Cilia Flores. On the same day, the Attorney’s Office presents the new indictment.
Oct. 15: The hearing is held in which the Attorney’s Office presents new accusatory charges (conspiracy to commit torture). Maduro and Flores plead innocent.
The judge accepts a request from the Attorney’s Office and the defense to postpone the start of the trial by two weeks, which was rescheduled for June 14, 2027. The next hearing was scheduled for Dec. 17.
Blockades Continue at Schools Across France Ahead of Third Meeting with Education Ministry.
On Thursday, thousands of French people continued protesting and blocking educational centers just hours before student organizations hold a new meeting with the Education Ministry, the third since the start of the protests more than two weeks ago.
Among the blocked institutions is the Paris School of Commerce (HEC), a symbolic place in these protests given that it is one of the most elitist and prestigious institutions in France.
This action shows its solidarity with the student movement, on the eve of a major day of demonstration scheduled for this Saturday, which will be joined by other movements related to the protest over the rising cost of living or agricultural demands. Some French media have described this expression of unity among social groups as a resurgence of the “yellow vests.”
So far, over 1,000 demonstrations are expected to take place across the country on the first day of the two-week “All Saints” school holidays, a date on which President Emmanuel Macron’s government hoped the protests would ease.
"When you see that 98% of news channels' airtime is devoted to burning rubbish bins and only 2% to our demands, of course it makes us angry!”
Thousands of students, teachers, and supporters rallied in Nantes on Tuesday to demand more funding for public education.
On Thursday morning, HEC directors closed their offices to mark their exasperation with the current situation and with the attacks suffered by some teachers. Meanwhile, the Macron administration is trying to control the student protest through negotiations.
Initially, the French government announced the deployment of 3,000 additional teachers, of whom 2,000 are already in their posts, to try to alleviate the teacher shortage, one of the most widespread demands among high school students.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray will receive the student organizations this afternoon for a third meeting, although the French are skeptical of achieving positive results.
“We will go to the meeting with little hope; the Education Ministry is not responding to our demands. We want to meet with the prime minister, who is the one who appears to have budgetary room,” said the vice president of the ‘Les Lyceens!’ union, Louis Letoubon.
🇫🇷Interesting Footage from France captures the moment a brave French student single-handedly takes on a dozen French riot police. This is the kind of spirit that can bring the cowardly French riot police to their knees; imagine if you had a hundred guys like this leading a… pic.twitter.com/9AsCpFT1aD
There Is a Moment of Fatigue in the Country: Lecornu
As expected, the calls for dialogue have been accompanied by attempts to delegitimize the social protest. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu lashed out against the students while symbolically defending “the right” of citizens to peacefully express their discontent.
“This no longer seems like a student movement. We are facing an urban violence movement,” declared Lecornu, who admitted that the intensity of the protests has increased in Paris, Creteil, and Lyon.
The prime minister denounced the firing of pyrotechnic mortars from the street against high schools or “absolutely horrifying calls to violence.” According to him, around 200 of the country’s 3,700 high schools are experiencing episodes of “entrenched” violence, sometimes carried out by people outside the centers.
“We must clearly distinguish between urban violence and legitimate demands,” said the prime minister, who expressed his fear of new disturbances on Saturday during the demonstrations called against the cost of living, in which the Yellow Vests could be present again.
Lunettes étanches, eau, masque FFP2 : France 3 Alsace publie un tuto pour se protéger des lacrymogènes avant les manifestations lycéennes. Les interna… https://t.co/qdgyr3eFAZpic.twitter.com/iWBVkbQd57
The text reads, “Waterproof goggles, water, FFP2 mask. France 3 Alsace publishes a tutorial on how to protect oneself from tear gas before the high school student demonstrations. The boarding school students”
Lecornu acknowledged that France is going through a period of social exhaustion marked by crises and uncertainty. “We are in a kind of permanent crisis situation: wars, uncertainty about purchasing power and inflation… It is evident that there is a moment of fatigue in the country. I perceive it deeply,” he said before immediately insinuating that left-wing organizations are trying to take advantage of that malaise to “turn it into electoral fuel.”
The prime minister promised to respond to student demands. He said the platform enabled to collect their proposals has received over 92,000 contributions so far.
Among the main demands are the improvement of school facilities, the replacement of absent teachers and the adaptation of educational resources to the needs of each territory.
The Macron administration plans to work with regional councils to evaluate the state of the buildings and the needs of the centers, according to Lecornu, who defended the mobilization of 3,000 teachers from a substitute reserve to cover absences.
He also proposed opening a broader debate on the consequences of demographic decline for the education system. France will have 1.6 million fewer students by 2035, an evolution that will force a review of the organization of educational centers, especially in rural areas.
Meanwhile, Russia detained a Swedish national accused of plotting attacks on military facilities.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told British media that Ukraine would restart strikes on Russia’s oil refineries and described recent U.S. moves as a betrayal of Kiev.
“The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We’re done,” Zelensky said in an interview with the Financial Times, arguing that Ukraine had paused energy strikes for three days to comply with the U.S.-announced “energy ceasefire,” while Moscow continued to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Zelensky also said the U.S. cutting off intelligence and restricting Starlink internet service has been “dangerous” for Ukraine. On Wednesday, Ukraine said U.S. aerospace company SpaceX restricted Starlink services, hampering the country’s attack and air-defense drone missions. Zelensky admitted to British broadcaster Piers Morgan he felt “betrayed” by the recent U.S. moves.
“They (the United States) wanted us not to attack diesel. My opinion was it’s not fair,” he said, adding that it was “really strange” and “something absolutely crazy” for the United States to restrict Starlink services.
“I think he is not right. It’s a big mistake,” replied Zelensky when asked if he was angry at SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. “I don’t know him or (if) somebody pushed him to… I don’t know really.”
❗️ New video shows aftermath of Ukrainian attack on Russian oil refinery in Ryazan — RT EXCLUSIVE
Russia Detains Swedish National Accused of Plotting Attacks On Military Facilities
On Thursday, , the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) informed that a Swedish citizen allegedly heading to Russia to commit attacks on military sites was detained for illegally crossing the border in the country’s western Pskov region. The detainee was traveling to Russia to commit acts of sabotage at military facilities under the pretext of joining the Russian Armed Forces.
The Swedish citizen had previously served as a squad commander of unmanned aerial systems of the Ukrainian 24th Separate Assault Regiment “Aidar,” with documents confirming his participation in hostilities against Russia as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The detainee has admitted that he signed a contract with the Aidar banned in Russia in a video released by the FSB. He testified to being sent for training, during which he learned to operate first-person view drones for reconnaissance and surveillance, and to train others.
She said that several rounds of voting might be needed before a new government could take office.
On Thursday, Sweden’s parliament rejected Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson’s nomination as new prime minister (PM), prolonging a political deadlock over government formation following last month’s general election.
Andersson, who served as Sweden’s PM from 2021 to 2022, received 99 votes in favor and 248 against in the 349-member Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, according to Swedish Television (SVT).
Following the vote, Andersson told SVT that the Riksdag was facing a difficult situation and that several rounds of voting might be needed before a new government could take office.
The vote came after Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen nominated Andersson on Tuesday to lead a single-party Social Democratic government, despite the failure of negotiations among four parties that together secured a narrow parliamentary majority in the September election.
The Social Democratic Party, Left Party, Green Party and Center Party won a combined 176 seats, but remain divided over the composition of a new government.
Coalition talks have been hampered mainly by disagreements between the Center Party and the Left Party, with the latter insisting on joining the government and securing cabinet posts, while the Center Party refuses to serve in the same government.
The Left Party, Green Party and Center Party all announced ahead of Thursday’s vote that they would oppose a single-party Social Democratic government.
On Tuesday, Andersson acknowledged that although progress had been made in coalition negotiations, conditions were still not in place to form a government capable of securing sufficient parliamentary support.
The former PM was first tasked with exploring the formation of a new government on Sept. 18, after outgoing PM Ulf Kristersson requested to be relieved of his duties following the election.
However, she returned the mandate on Sept. 28 after the Left Party backed the Moderate Party’s candidate rather than the Social Democratic Party’s candidate in the parliamentary speaker election. Norlen subsequently reassigned her the task in early October, but negotiations remained inconclusive.
Under Sweden’s system of negative parliamentarism, a PM candidate can take office unless at least 175 of the 349 lawmakers vote against the nomination.
Following Thursday’s rejection, Norlen will have to put forward another candidate. Under Sweden’s constitution, if parliament rejects four proposed PM candidates, an extraordinary election must be held.
Over the past week, drones have struck multiple vessels off Bulgaria’s coast, leaving 11 crew missing and 10 presumed dead.
A fresh wave of drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, an alternative shipping route to the disrupted Strait of Hormuz, is deepening insecurity along the European Union’s (EU’s) eastern flank and compounding pressures on an already stretched global shipping network.
A San Marino-flagged vessel caught fire in the Black Sea early Thursday morning, with eight of its 12 crew members still missing, according to Romanian maritime authorities. The incident came just hours after a suspected drone strike on a Comoros-flagged tanker in Romanian waters on Wednesday.
Despite reports about drones detected in the area overnight, Romania’s Defense Ministry has not confirmed the two vessels were struck by drones. However, over the past week, drones have struck multiple vessels off Bulgaria’s coast, leaving 11 crew missing and 10 presumed dead. Both Russia and Ukraine have denied involvement in the recent attacks.
DIPLOMATIC FALLOUT
The strikes have triggered a diplomatic row. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has summoned Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova, saying that although there was “no conclusive evidence,” “the logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation.”
Mitrofanova denied knowledge of the strikes and suggested a “provocation by a third party.” Moscow rejected a limited naval ceasefire proposal brokered by Türkiye and the UN, saying it lacked guarantees against arms shipments to Ukraine by sea, and blaming Kyiv for refusing comprehensive agreements.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told British media that Kyiv would resume strikes on Russia’s oil refineries, citing Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as violations against the U.S.-announced “energy ceasefire.”
In response, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance would “adjust our deterrence and defense posture as needed.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the Black Sea “another front of escalation” of the Russia-Ukraine war, which is “unacceptable.” France and Germany also urged a halt to attacks on commercial vessels.
Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova and Romanian President Nicusor Dan have agreed to jointly push for an emergency item on the Black Sea at the European Council.
On Thursday afternoon, the Bulgarian prime minister and the Romanian president met with Mark Rutte in Brussels for regional security discussions. The three NATO littoral states — Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye — have also agreed to boost surveillance and intelligence-sharing.
Seven people are missing after drones set two chemical tankers ablaze in Romania's Black Sea waters overnight. It's the latest in a series of drone attacks on vessels off Romania and Bulgaria.
The attacks are compounding a crisis that began thousands of miles away. The Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of global oil and gas supplies, has faced repeated attacks on tankers since late February. This has pushed some energy and grain cargoes toward alternative routes — including the Black Sea corridor, now itself in jeopardy.
The Black Sea handles roughly 25 to 30 percent of global wheat exports, over 10 percent of corn and two-thirds of sunflower oil. Russia and Ukraine together normally supply about 27 percent of the world’s wheat, most of it shipped through the Black Sea.
Their combined wheat shipments from July to September were 6.5 million tons below the same period a year earlier, according to estimates from the International Food Policy Research Institute and the Agricultural Market Information System.
Separately, Barva Invest has warned that up to 38 million tons of wheat and corn exports could be at risk in 2026/27 if deep-sea port restrictions persist.
“We see three concerning chokepoints right now that are driving up food prices across the world,” said Carl Skau, acting executive director of the UN World Food Programme, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab Al Mandeb strait and the Black Sea.
“All those three are causing disruptions to maritime trade, which is pushing up the price of energy and of food.” Countries dependent on Black Sea grain, including Egypt, Türkiye and other parts of the Middle East, face the sharpest impact.
Insurance costs reflect the escalation of the conflict. War-risk premiums for Black Sea voyages have jumped from about 200,000 U.S. dollars to 2.5 million dollars per vessel, according to Lukoil’s commercial manager in Bulgaria. Meanwhile, London-based insurance body Joint War Committee has expanded its high-risk zone to cover almost the entire basin.
“The Black Sea didn’t become more expensive; it became just harder to access,” Alexey Zavarskiy, a ship operator at Angara Denizcilik, said at an industry conference held on Sept. 22. He estimated that around 90 percent of shipowners had suspended calls at affected ports.
Washington’s decision on Oct. 9 to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports illustrates the dilemma. On paper, it appears to be a release valve for a tight global diesel market: U.S. diesel prices are up 70 percent since February.
However, the relief depends on a route that is itself under attack — Russian diesel loads primarily at Black Sea ports such as Novorossiysk, the same waters where drones are now striking commercial vessels.
The first tranche of about 2.25 million barrels is less than a single day of U.S. diesel demand, and analysts from Quilter Cheviot to Wood Mackenzie have dismissed it as too small and too exposed to make a difference.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump has reportedly ordered the U.S. military to prepare devastating new strikes on Iran, including plans to unleash the “MOTHER OF ALL BOMBS” — America's most powerful non-nuclear weapon.
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 15, 2026
CALL FOR NEW FRAMEWORK
Military analysts warn the Black Sea has become one of the world’s most dangerous shipping routes, with drone attacks having overtaken sea mines as the primary risk.
Retired Romanian Navy commander Sandu Valentin Mateiu told local media that the density of incidents pointed to a deliberate hybrid campaign. Mateiu said Romania should prepare a serious case for diplomatic protest, potentially raising the issue even at the level of NATO’s Article 4.
Poland took this step in September 2025 after drones violated its airspace, leading to emergency consultations and the deployment of allied fighter jets and air defense systems to the alliance’s eastern flank under the “Eastern Sentry” mission.
Murat Ersavci, director of the International Studies Center at the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Türkiye, said the changing nature of the conflict is reshaping the Black Sea into a “multilayered security environment,” with the boundary between trade and security becoming increasingly blurred.
Ersavci called for a comprehensive maritime security arrangement to ensure safe, predictable commercial navigation, distinguish civilian vessels from military targets, and coordinate efforts among littoral states to protect energy and food shipments.
Canan Tercan, a foreign policy expert at Istanbul Aydin University, warned that the Black Sea risked mirroring the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, and that navigational safety “must be secured through an international non-combat agreement, not through naval forces.”
The protest in Portugal is part of a broader wave of housing activism spreading across Europe.
Thirty-seven participants in a housing rights protest in Oporto were injured in the early hours of Thursday when police took action to end a sit-in encampment that had been occupying Praca D. Joao I since Saturday, two of them sustaining what the organizer of the protest described as serious injuries.
“At 02:56 on Thursday, police forces intervened at the housing encampment at Praca D. Joao I, Porto, in an operation aimed at ending the protest,” said the Housing Movement (Movimento pela Habitacao).
The Housing activists also denounced that among those hurt was a person with a disability and that two people suffered fractures requiring hospitalization.
Following an emergency assembly, protesters voted to remain at the site and set up tents overnight, according to movement spokesperson Pedro Manuel.
A polícia volta a impedir as manifestações pelo direito á habitação no centro do Porto. Pelo menos 35 manifestantes ficaram feridos durante uma nova operação policial esta noite, depois do regresso da “acampada” de protesto à Praça D. João I. Vídeo: https://t.co/6SbIob8Xkopic.twitter.com/QjPA724AEm
The text reads, “Police have once again blocked demonstrations for the right to housing in the center of Porto. At least 35 protesters were injured during a new police operation tonight, following the return of the protest “encampment” to Don Joao I Square.”
Portugues outlet SIC Noticias mentioned that social activists were demonstrating peacefully before the police intervened against them with force.
“Mariana Guedes, of the Housing Movement, accuses the Public Security Police of having used disproportionate force during a police intervention that took place early this Thursday morning in D. Joao I Square… She asserts that the participants were demonstrating peacefully and denies that there were any provocations on the part of the protesters,” SIC Noticias reported.
“That was not a confrontation. It was an abuse of police force against peaceful citizens,” she stated, arguing that footage released by the movement shows participants with their arms raised, chanting “peaceful, peaceful” during the intervention.
The protest in Portugal is part of a broader wave of housing activism spreading across Europe. Encampments are currently active in at least 15 Spanish cities, and similar demonstrations have taken place in France, as citizens in multiple countries protest against surging rents and the lack of affordable housing.
In Portugal, housing prices rose 17.8 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, the highest increase in the European Union, while median rents on new contracts grew 9.1 percent in the same period.
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