Lisbon housing march reaches Rossio without incident. Protesters plan to camp there in tents again
On Saturday 31 October, thousands of people once again took part in marches for the right to housing. In Lisbon, more than a thousand people had gathered in Largo de Camões by 16:00, and at around 17:00 the march set off through Chiado towards Rossio (Jornal Económico). At around 18:30 it reached the square without incident. For the first time at these protests, staff from the Ombudsman's office (Provedoria de Justiça) were monitoring the police; their coordinator, Miguel Feldman, said that "so far, everything is going well" (Notícias ao Minuto).
In Rossio, the protesters plan to put up tents again and stay overnight, although the PSP police have said more than once that they will not allow it. One of the camp's representatives said it was up to the participants themselves whether to resist if the police order them to leave.
Rossio and the surrounding streets may be crowded and noisy this evening and overnight.
In Porto, the march set off from Praça da Batalha at 16:50 with a tent at its head and about 50 minutes later reached Praça D. João I, the square where the country's first protest camp was set up more than 20 days ago (Notícias ao Minuto). In Viana do Castelo, more than 50 people joined the protest (Notícias ao Minuto).
The next housing marches across the country are scheduled for 14 November.
