Housing protesters celebrated in Lisbon on 2 November after a court ruled that activist Renata Cambra could set up a tent in Rossio Square. Police had cleared demonstrators from the square over the weekend.
The ruling overturned the automatic 00:30 curfew officers had used to require protesters to leave. The court recognised the tent as a symbolic part of the demonstration, rather than an illegal occupation of public space.
The Acampada movement is protesting Portugal’s housing crisis and the laws governing relations between landlords and tenants. Cambra says rising house prices are making decent accommodation increasingly difficult to find. She also cites tourism, short-term rentals and luxury properties as factors affecting housing costs.
The decision gives demonstrators a legal basis to continue their protest in Rossio Square.
Sources: Euronews English.