Portugal: Housing protesters return to Lisbon square after court ruling

More than a hundred people joined Tuesday night's popular assembly called by Acampada de Lisboa in Rossio, demanding action over Portugal's housing crisis. Footage showed protesters unfolding groundsheets, pitching tents and hanging banners around the square.

By 3am the square was dotted with tents beneath the National Theatre, young protesters wrapped in blankets against the cold. About 80 tents stood in Rossio at daybreak, with 20 more in Porto's Praça D. João I.

The renewed protest camp saw a far lighter police presence, with only a few officers visible, some wearing carnations. On Monday, a Lisbon court ruled that the 12.30 am protest curfew was not "absolute and automatic", allowing activist Renata Cambra to keep her tent overnight and protest until the 24 November budget vote. The ruling applied only to her and did not grant others the right to camp.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro addressed the nation on Tuesday, saying there was "no reason" to import violent protest models, and invited opposition leaders to bring housing proposals on Thursday. Acampada members voted to accept President António José Seguro's invitation to talks, though no date has been set.