Presence at the debate Onde Cabe Um, Cabem Logo Dois ou Três (Where one fits, soon two or three will also fit), on housing overcrowding and immigration in Lisbon. The event took place at the Camões Library, in Lisbon (February 28, 2023).
The debate addresses a tragic situation that happened in Mouraria, with the death of two immigrants and two dozen injured, following a fire that occurred in a situation of housing overcrowding, which uncovered the reality of accommodation for immigrants in Lisbon.
In Portugal, the access of the most vulnerable immigrants and refugees to adequate housing remains largely conditioned taking into account, on the one hand, the structural conjuncture of neoliberal slope in consolidation in recent years and, on the other hand, the worsening caused by the pandemic situation of COVID-19. Residents of the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, in particular, where demographic and migratory pressure is more significant, face various difficulties in exercising their rights. In this context, with different origins and cultures, many immigrants and refugees find themselves deprived of the right to the city, sometimes being the target of practices of racism and/or xenophobia.
However, lately, at the central government level, the political response in the areas of housing and migration has been very robust. Along the same lines, several public institutions aim to respond positively to the warning challenges launched by organized civil society, which, in a resistant and resilient way, denounces segregation practices and/or finds inclusive alternatives.
The event was attended by Sílvia Viegas (CIAC/UAlg), António Brito Guterres (Dinamia CET ISCTE), Inês Andrade (Associação Renovar a Mouraria) and José Falcão (SOS Racismo), and counted with the moderation of Frederico Raposo (Mensagem de Lisboa).