Portuguese police moved in on housing protesters early Sunday morning, clearing tent camps in Lisbon's Rossio Square and a smaller site in Porto while making 13 arrests.

Dozens of officers equipped with shields and police dogs entered the squares around 4:30 a.m. local time. They issued three warnings before dismantling more than 50 tents in Lisbon and about 30 in Porto. Police reported that some demonstrators threw bottles, paint, and firecrackers during the operation.

Authorities arrested six people in Lisbon and seven in Porto for refusing dispersal orders. Thirteen officers sustained injuries, with eight requiring hospital treatment. Police described the action as proportionate and necessary to remove illegal encampments.

The camps were erected after Saturday marches through central Lisbon and Porto drew thousands of participants. Demonstrators oppose a rental bill advanced by Portugal's minority center-right government that would ease evictions and lift rent caps on new leases. Critics argue the measures will worsen affordability problems in a country facing one of Europe's most severe housing shortages.

Portugal has seen house prices more than double since 2017, with rents for new contracts nearly doubling in major cities. Young people and lower-income residents have been hit hardest. A similar police clearance operation the previous weekend resulted in 31 arrests across both cities and dozens of reported injuries.

Housing activist groups claimed more than 30 protesters were injured in Sunday's clashes and called the response excessive. Some opposition lawmakers described the squares as peaceful prior to the intervention.

The government maintains that illegal occupations of public spaces cannot be tolerated and that long-term solutions require legislative changes to increase housing supply. Further protests are expected later Sunday.