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Bank of Ideas evicted

stacey.knott@gmail.com (Stacey Knott) | 30.01.2012 06:55 | London

Occupy London protesters were evicted from their Bank of Ideas home early this morning at the hands of violent bailiffs.


Protesters associated with the global occupy movement had been squatting a disused UBS office block on Sun Street, in Hackney since November 18, but a possession order was put in place on Thursday after occupiers dropped their appeal against the eviction.

Activists had been using the block as a community centre, housing workshops and lectures. At its peak, about 100 people slept in the premises.

The eviction began at about 1230. There was an estimated 30 people in the Bank of Ideas, and a further 60 around the corner attending a party in the separate Earl Street Community Centre.

The evicting forces entered the Bank of Ideas through a open side-door and then busted down the main doors of both buildings using heavy machinery.

They could then be seen in the sprawling buildings securing the floors and roof-tops.

While the eviction was mostly peaceful, with no arrests, protesters complained bailiffs were too violent.

Protester Charlie, who stays at the Finsbury Square occupation, said he and other protesters tried to block the police and bailiffs from entering the Earl Street building.

"They came through pushing, the guys resisted then fell on some women who were sitting on the floor. They (the bailiffs) carried on shoving without helping anyone. They dispersed most of us and trampled the women. We had to help people up who couldn't breath because they had been stomped on."

Another protester, Lee, who had been living at the Bank of Ideas felt the bailiffs should be charged with assault.

At about 4am, a bailiff assaulted a press photographer and drove a van into a crowd of protesters, and continued driving down a road with protesters stuck on the van's bonnet.

Occupy protester Ronan McNern said they tried to get the police to help but they were to slow to act and one officer he spoke to refused to take statements.

"The police refused to act on what they had seen, they refused to act on any duty of care. They cared more about the building than the people."

It is not believed there had been any serious injuries from the incident, but McNern said many who had witnessed it were in a state of shock.

 


stacey.knott@gmail.com (Stacey Knott)
- Original article on IMC London: http://london.indymedia.org/articles/11571