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VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s Supreme Court has sided with a group of homeless people embroiled in a dispute with the City of Abbotsford, B.C., over their right to camp on public property.

A judge has rejected Abbotsford’s bid to shut down a homeless camp after a group calling itself the Drug War Survivors took the municipality to court, alleging the city’s regulations and harassment tactics violated their charter rights.

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The judge also rejected the city’s request for a permanent injunction against homeless camping.

The lawsuit follows incidents where municipal officials dumped chicken manure on a makeshift encampment and police slashed and pepper sprayed tents elsewhere.

A city lawyer said the local homeless population chooses to sleep outside rather than at available shelter space.

But David Wotherspoon of the Pivot Legal Society — an advocacy group representing the city’s homeless in this case — argued it’s wrong to blame his clients for their circumstances.