The U.S. government has issued a travel warning for Americans in Portugal as protests over living costs and housing affordability continue across Europe, with demonstrations also turning violent in parts of Germany and France. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in several European countries in recent days, following online calls for protests, voicing frustration over rising living costs, housing shortages and public services. While many demonstrations have remained peaceful, clashes with police, property damage and looting have been reported in several cities.
Newsweek contacted the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon and the German Federal Ministry of the Interior for comment via email on Monday. Department of State issued a security alert on Sunday for Americans in Portugal.
On X, the department advised U.S. citizens to remain aware of their surroundings and exercise caution. Portugal has experienced demonstrations over soaring housing costs, with protesters demanding more affordable accommodation. Embassy warned that demonstrations were taking place in Lisbon and Porto, noting that police had recently used crowd-control measures, including tear gas.
In Lisbon, thousands of people marched through the city on October 31, drawing attention to the housing crisis. Tensions escalated after several hundred protesters established a camp in Rossio Square. During the early hours of November 1, police removed tents and cleared the encampment.
Americans were advised to avoid Rossio Square in Lisbon and Praça Dom João I in Porto. The alert also warned that protest routes could change at short notice, and that demonstrations might take place outside authorized areas. The embassy urged U.S. citizens to monitor local media and remain alert around large gatherings.
Meanwhile, demonstrations took place in more than 30 German cities on Saturday—including Berlin, Cologne and Munich—with several descending into violence over the weekend. Tens of thousands of people took part in protests organized by the youth campaign group Gen Z regelt, which translates roughly as "Gen Z takes charge." Protesters called for better education, increased investment in public services and more affordable living conditions, while also opposing a possible return to compulsory military service. Most demonstrations were initially peaceful, but violence broke out in several cities later in the evening.
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