Lisbon mayor gives protesters an ultimatum, with one exception

Lisbon’s mayor has offered the Rossio camp a deal, with one tent staying and everyone else moving on. It’s Friday, 6 November. Eighteen degrees. Air quality: 33 to 40 (Good). Here’s what you need to know.

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THE MAYOR OFFERS ROSSIO’S PROTESTERS ONE TENT, WITH THE CHRISTMAS MARKET A WEEK AWAY

With Rossio’s Christmas market due to open on 13 November, Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas wants the housing camp out of the square. Under his latest proposal, Renata Cambra, the protester whose court case won the right to keep a tent there, could keep hers in the square as a symbol during the market. Everyone else would move to one of three nearby spots, Largo de São Domingos, Martim Moniz or Restauradores.

The council presents it as a middle ground that respects both the protest and a market that’s become a Lisbon tradition. The Acampada Lisboa movement, which has camped in Rossio since 17 October, had not responded when the offer was made public on Thursday. Earlier this week, it told the council it would not leave and suggested the market move instead.

That idea now has backing. A group called Mothers for the Encampment has written to the mayor proposing Praça do Município, the square in front of City Hall, which they describe as just as central. “We are not against the Christmas Fair,” the letter says. Shopkeepers around Rossio see it differently. They say the camp is already costing them trade, and they fear things will get worse if the market moves away.

The council hasn’t said what happens if the camp refuses. Renata Cambra’s tent is the only one with a court’s protection, and the government’s position is that the ruling covers her alone. Police have cleared the camps three times since mid-October, and the market’s stalls are due to start going up next week. The camp says it intends to stay until 24 November, when parliament gives its final vote on next year’s budget. In Porto, protesters voted on Thursday to seek a meeting with President Seguro, and are calling for the interior minister, Luís Neves, to resign over the police clearances.

Bottom line: The rest of the camp has no legal cover and the stalls arrive next week, so the coming days will decide whether this ends in a deal or another clearance.

⚡ QUICK HITS

Livre and the union for immigration agency staff have criticised the government’s warning to foreign protesters. The union, which represents workers at AIMA, the immigration agency, called it “irresponsible” and “dangerous” to link the right to protest with keeping a residence permit, and warned that migrants could see it as an attempt to scare them off. Livre, a left-wing green party, pointed out that the Constitution guarantees the right to protest to everyone, whatever their passport, and said taking part shouldn’t put anyone’s permit at risk. The secretary of state for immigration has said protesting itself isn’t the issue, only behaviour that puts public order at risk, but he hasn’t spelled out what that behaviour would be.

Many workers and pensioners will take home more in November after a temporary cut in income tax withholding. Employers and pension providers will withhold only half the usual IRS, Portugal’s income tax, on payments made between 1 and 30 November, including Christmas bonuses paid this month. A worker who normally has €200 deducted would have €100 taken in November. Anyone already below the withholding threshold sees no change, and the very highest earners are excluded. It comes alongside small cuts to the rates in the first six tax brackets for 2026. Withholding goes back to normal in December, and because it’s an advance on the annual tax bill, a smaller deduction now could mean a smaller refund, or a bill, when 2026 taxes are settled next year.

Lisbon council is considering buying a housing complex in the east of the city to stop nearly 100 residents being evicted. Pátio da Quintinha, between Beato and Marvila, is a historic complex of 49 homes that once belonged to the Marquises of Marialva. It went to auction last November after debt proceedings against a construction company, but the best bid of €1.05 million fell well short of the roughly €2 million minimum. Many residents have lived there for years without written contracts. Deputy mayor Gonçalo Reis told Público the solution will involve the council buying the property, but no deal or timetable has been announced.

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🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY

A OBRA (SANTOS)

A Obra sits on Rua da Silva in Santos, the plant-covered street some locals call Rua Verde, and it’s built for sharing. The plates have Portuguese and Mediterranean roots, and diners keep coming back for the grilled green asparagus, gnocchi, prawns piled onto brioche and, above all, the octopus rice. The wine list leans towards natural bottles, including Portuguese pét-nats, the lightly sparkling natural wines.

Reviewers single out the service as much as the food, with friendly, knowledgeable staff and a relaxed room that makes it easy to stay for another round. The sangria and cocktails have their own fans too, and the sangria arrives loaded with chopped fruit. It’s a cosy space on a popular street, so book ahead, especially on a Friday night.

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Insider tip: order the octopus rice for the table first and build the rest of the meal around it. It’s the dish reviewers mention more than any other, and it’s made for sharing.

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See you tomorrow morning.

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