Lisbon court lets housing protest stay in Rossio until 24 November, Christmas market may move

Court ruling on the Rossio tent

On Sunday, 1 November, the Lisbon administrative court found that the 00:30 limit on demonstrations is not "absolute and automatic", which allowed one protester to keep a tent in Rossio overnight. Rossio is formally known as Praça D. Pedro IV. The ruling lets the housing protest stay until 24 November 2026, the planned date of the final vote on the 2027 State Budget, including between 00:30 and 06:30. The court also ordered that the protest be coordinated with the Christmas market planned for the same square. If the two cannot coexist, the protester must be offered a nearby or adjoining location that keeps the protest visible and symbolically meaningful.

Mayor sees market and protest as incompatible

Carlos Moedas (PSD), the mayor of Lisbon, spoke to journalists on Monday, 2 November, after an event with municipal leaders from the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. He said he had not yet read the ruling closely, but that court decisions must be complied with and that he would do so as mayor.

“The court's decisions are to be complied with, they are to be respected, and that is what I will do as mayor.”

He described the Christmas market as a traditional fair that cannot, in his reading of the ruling, take place alongside a demonstration. He placed the decision with the Associação da Baixa Pombalina, which is responsible for the fair. In remarks to SIC Notícias, he said he is considering moving the market and put it plainly:

“We cannot have a fair and a demonstration in the same place.”

He also said he keeps an open door for protesters. When asked whether he would meet them, like Porto mayor Pedro Duarte, he said he is available 24 hours a day. He recalled helping a person from the camp who lost medication at the end of a night and tried to solve the problem.

Merchants and the Christmas market

Manuel Lopes, president of the Associação de Dinamização da Baixa Pombalina, told Lusa that Baixa merchants are willing to talk with the camp's representatives about whether a fair and a demonstration can share the square. He said the Christmas market draws tens of thousands of visitors to the Baixa, and that merchants need those shoppers. He warned that losing the fair would be a serious blow to the district, in his words:

“If it doesn't happen, it's a total loss for our Baixa.”

The association has worked for the Pombaline Baixa for 30 years. It says it is not against the movement or its demands, but is worried, pointing to Saturday, 31 October, when some shops closed for several hours because of security concerns. The Christmas market is scheduled to open to the public on 13 November and close on 21 December.

What comes next

Several dates now shape the standoff. The Christmas market is scheduled to open on 13 November and close on 21 December, while the protest may run until 24 November. The court's alternative-site order applies only if the two events cannot share Rossio. Moedas said the fair's organisers must decide, and no new venue has been announced in the reports.