The assistants to the camping for the right to housing in Rossio Square, in Lisbon, have been split this Monday between dismantling the camp or continuing, after a popular assembly in which it was backed to stay in the square, although without yet specifying exactly what to do with the tents.
The meeting, which began at 21.00 hours (local time) and lasted for more than two hours, focused almost entirely on the proposal put forward on Saturday by one of the most visible activists of the movement, Renata Cambra, who argued for removing the structures in order to explore other forms of protest, such as the demonstrations planned for the 14th and 21st of this month or a possible relocation of the mobilization to the vicinity of the Assembly of the Republic between the 21st and the 24th of November -- a date on which the General State Budgets for 2027 will be voted on --, according to the Luso agency Lusa.
After a “technical draw” in an initial vote on whether to lift or not the camp, the assembly again voted on continuing in the location. With a large majority, it has been decided to keep going in the Rossio, although the specific decision on the future of the tents has been postponed to a meeting of delegates and to a new popular assembly scheduled for the night of this same Monday.
For now, the tents are still up after 22 days of protest in a square where the Lisbon City Council has plans to install a Christmas market.
The split in the capital contrasts with what happened in Oporto, where those gathered decided in a general assembly to keep the camping site in the central Plaza de Don Juan I despite unfavorable weather forecasts and heavy rains, keeping around 70 tents standing in the area, as the public television RTP reported.
The continuity of the encampments comes in a context marked by the recent decision of the Administrative Court of the Circle of Lisbon, which allowed the presence of the tents until November 24 by prioritizing the fundamental right to protest.
While the conservative Executive of Luís Montenegro has specified that the ruling is limited to an “individual” case and does not imply a generalized recognition of the right to camp in public space, the opposition has interpreted the decision as a “resounding defeat” for the Government.
In parallel, the political crisis has intensified due to the criticisms of the Socialist Party (PS) of the Executive’s “incompetence” in addressing the housing issue and due to the attacks by the far-right party Chega against the prime minister for his handling of the conflict.