Occupy London To Be Served Legal Notice

Protestors camped outside St Paul's Cathedral are expected to be handed legal notice to clear the area, just as the New York protests were removed forcibly by police on Monday.

The City of London Corporation is expected to hand a legal notice to the protestors - who are campaigning against the concentration of money and political power amongst a small band of people as well as corporate greed and malpractice – on Wednesday, insisting they clear their tents from the "public highway" within 24 hours.

The notice does not seek to clear the entire camp, as tents are also pitched on land belonging to the cathedral, which is not taking legal action.

The corporation recommenced their legal action against the camp after talks failed.

Responding to the announcement, a spokesperson for the Occupy movement said that, as a movement, Occupy London believed in bringing divergent views together in a spirit of open discussion, with the intention of reaching consensus.

"We are therefore disappointed that the City of London Corporation has decided to cut off the process of dialogue at their end and go down the legal route."

Occupy London said that last week it had presented a formal counteroffer to the City of London Corporation, asking them to do "a few things that every other local authority does" such as making itself accountable to the public under the Freedom of Information Act and to make its financial and lobbying activities more transparent.

"Today’s announcement is the first thing we have received in terms of a response. We cannot help but feel that the failure to engage with us constructively represents something of a missed opportunity," the group said.

Their spokesman added: "We are aware of our legal position and the likely timeframe for any action. We have a great legal team on board and are not in the least concerned about the road ahead."

(DW)