Giving voice to the struggle for the right to housing and the demand for immediate measures to ensure it, which led tens of thousands of people to take to the streets, all over the country, last Saturday, as well as all those who are affected in their rights and living conditions by the policy of the European Central Bank (ECB), João Pimenta Lopes, PCP’s MP in the European Parliament (EP) proposed today, at the beginning of the plenary session, the scheduling of a debate to be held on Tuesday, October 3, on the serious consequences of increases in reference interest rates.

Portugal faces large-scale structural problems and growing and heightened inequality and injustice in the distribution of the wealth created. A situation in which the lives of workers and large sectors of the population experience more difficulties while a handful of people concentrate profits like never before. It cannot continue like this; the situation of workers and people and the future of the country demand a response.

Mr Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen, Housing is a condition for living. It is something that each one of us cannot do without – and that, to maintain it, we will make all the cuts, all the sacrifices, we will go through all the difficulties that are possible, up to the limit of deciding to give up our roof, our home. This is the situation in which thousands and thousands of people find themselves. Every day finding what they can cut to survive.

Here we are, confident, determined, full of life and with a great joy to live, fight and make a change. The challenges we face are many, but they are not big enough to discourage us, on the contrary, each one of them gives us even more strength. We do not underestimate the difficulties, but here we are, firm, determined, with a great joy to live and fight. And so it is, to the annoyance of the champions and beneficiaries of right-wing policies. Those protagonists and beneficiaries, those happy and very comfortable with the current situation.