City wins bid to evict St Paul’s protesters
By politics.co.uk staff
Anti-capitalist protesters camped outside St Paul's Cathedral face eviction after a bid to remove them succeeded in the high court.
The City of London Corporation's bid to oust the Occupy London protesters means the end is near for the demonstration, which has been in place since October 15th.
Not all the tents will have to go, as some of the land is owned by St Paul's Cathedral which has given them permission to remain.
But the majority will be forced to move, after City lawyers successfully argued the presence of the camp was causing crime and disorder in the area to increase.
Today's ruling followed a five-day hearing last month. The City had pressed on with its legal proceedings after protesters refused to budge at the beginning of November.
The City of London is a local authority with the unusual quality that most of its electoral wards are controlled by private companies and financial institutions.
The arrangement is controversial, not least because so many of the institutions come from outside the UK, but successive British governments have failed to challenge its power.
