Occupy London Stock Exchange protesters asked to leave by cathedral officials

Anti-global finance camp under pressure to disband or move as decision taken to close St Paul’s on safety grounds The anti-global finance protest camp set up next to St Paul’s cathedral a week ago has been asked to leave by cathedral officials who said they were being forced to shut the building for safety reasons. In a statement , the dean of St Paul’s, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, said the decision to close the cathedral – one of London’s most celebrated tourist attractions – was “unprecedented in modern times”, but added that there was no choice. Knowles said he had written an open letter to the Occupy the London Stock Exchange protesters requesting that they “recognise the huge issues facing us at this time and asking them to leave the vicinity of the building so that the cathedral can reopen as soon as possible”. The protest – modelled on earlier such events in Spain and, more famously, New York – descended on London’s financial district last Saturday with the intention of setting up a permanent camp in Paternoster Square, the private commercial and retail plaza housing the Stock Exchange headquarters. However, the square’s owners won a court order preventing this, and police blocked access. Several thousand activists, who eventually coalesced into an encampment of around 200 tents, instead based themselves on the western edge of St Paul’s. There, they set up an increasingly entrenched camp , featuring a food marquee, a media tent and a “university”. Relations with the church began well, especially when its canon chancellor, the Rev Dr Giles Fraser, delighted protesters on Saturday by saying he supported the right of the “good-natured” crowd to remain. Since then, however, cathedral officials have repeatedly raised concerns about the size and scope of the camp, warning that it was impeding access for both worshippers and tourists, especially ahead of next week’s busy half term. This is a particular issue for a cathedral that relies heavily on entrance fees for its income. Knowles’s statement, read to the media, stressed that he and other officials had formed good relations with the protesters, and talked at length about possible problems. He said: “We are delighted that the London protests have been peaceful, and indeed there has been a good atmosphere generally between cathedral staff and those dwelling in the tents around St Paul’s. “There is something profound about protest being made and heard in front of this most holy place – a gathering together of those concerned about poverty and inequality facing the great dome of this cathedral church.” However, he said, it was “obvious to anyone approaching the cathedral” that the size of the camp had “increasingly put us in a difficult position”. Knowles said he had met members of the chapter that governs St Paul’s on Thursday evening. “As a result of that meeting, and reports received today from our independent health, safety and fire officers, I have written an open letter to the protestors this afternoon advising them that we have no lawful alternative but to close St Paul’s cathedral until further notice,” he said. “The health, safety and fire officers have pointed out that access to and from the cathedral is seriously limited. With so many stoves and fires and lots of different types of fuel around, there is a clear fire hazard. “Then there is the public health aspect, which speaks for itself. The dangers relate not just to cathedral staff and visitors but are a potential hazard to those encamped themselves.” Therefore, he said, the cathedral would stay closed “until such a time that we can open safely”. He added: “We have done this with a very heavy heart, but it is simply not possible to fulfil our day to day obligations to worshippers, visitors and pilgrims in current circumstances.” One protester, Marcus Wright, said he would resist any attempt to remove him from the area. The 22-year-old, wearing a Batman hoodie and a Guy Fawkes mask, has been at St Paul’s since Monday. “It will be non-violent, but I will still be protesting as they drag me away,” he said. “The only way we’ll move is by force. We won’t be violent. It is our right to protest.” With him was 32-year-old Chrissy Bethke, who has been at the cathedral since Saturday. She was sceptical about the reasons given by the cathedral dean, saying: “It doesn’t feel honest. We’ve made space for fire engines. It just feels like they want us to leave.” The cathedral officials’ decision puts the activists in an extremely difficult position given that they have been at pains to stay on good terms with the cathedral and not jeopardise the general goodwill with which the protest has been received so far. Staying put, meaning the cathedral remains closed over half term, would almost certainly end this. All decisions at the camp are made democratically by mass meeting. “It’s too early to say what we might do – we need to talk about this,” a member of the camp delegated to speak to the press said. Protesters are understood to be planning to hold a vote on what to do next at 4pm on Friday. Earlier this week, an OccupyLSX working group proposed expanding the camp to two or three other sites in London while still maintaining the St Paul’s site at the current tent level. The suggested alternatives included Hyde Park, Hoxton, Trafalgar Square, Imperial War Museum, Victoria Park and the eastern side of St Pauls, but the proposals were not voted on. Occupy London Occupy movement Protest Religion Peter Walker Riazat Butt guardian.co.uk

Posted by on October 21, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.