6 Hackney residents have stormed the central London offices of Nelson Bakewell as part of a protest against a planned auction at which vast numbers of council properties - including old schools, nurseries and community centres - will be sold off.

Ivan Agenda phoned in a report and stated that police officers had arrived (2.30pm Friday 12 Oct) along with a team of negotiators at the company's plush offices in Sackville street. Ivan Agenda is not sure what is happening inside the building as all ohones of the protesters are unavailable but he went on to say that he, and his colleagues outside the building, had been threatened with arrest by police using ancient anti-vagrancy laws.

People outside the offices had unfurled a banner in solidarity with those inside the building as part of the 'Hackney is not for Sale' campaign.

Hackney Council has a long history of corruption, under-investment and misues of funds and has been recently declared bankcrupt. In face of a mounting financial crisis council executives have decided to sell off large parts of its property portfolio despite the fact that many community groups use the sites to provide much-needed services to teh local community. Hackney is one of the UK's most deprived regions in the UK.

The auction - being organised by Nelson Bakewell - is set to take place on Monday 15 Oct and is likely to attract many speculators from property development companies who are spearheading much of the gentrification process in east London at present.