Court allows Rossio tent protest until 24 November, day and night. Police may step in only for breaches or real danger
A protest calling for affordable housing in Lisbon's Rossio square may continue until 24 November, the day parliament holds its final vote on the 2027 budget, including at night and with a tent. This was the decision of the Lisbon Administrative Court (Tribunal Administrativo de Círculo de Lisboa) in a case brought by one of the protesters against the Interior Ministry and Lisbon City Council. The ruling was signed on 1 November (ECO; Notícias ao Minuto).
The rules say demonstrations end at 00:30, but the court held that the time alone is no reason to break up a protest. It treated the tent as a symbol of the protest, not as a camp that needs permission. The PSP police and the municipal police have been ordered not to break up the protest or remove the protesters' belongings.
The court's conditions: no noise between midnight and 06:30; no blocking of pavements or of access for ambulances and fire engines; the protest must be peaceful and leave no litter; fires, fireworks, gas and flammable liquids are banned. If these conditions are broken or there is a real danger to people or property, the police may step in, but they must justify their decision in writing.
The court stressed that its ruling applies to this case only and gives no general right to pitch tents in squares. The protest will have to share the space with the Christmas market planned for Rossio. According to SIC Notícias, the Interior Ministry is deciding whether to appeal.
