Christian protesters praying on the steps of the cathedral were apparently violently pulled away and thrown to the ground - at the request of the church authorities.

Police blocked off the area to stop supporters getting to the scene to express their solidarity.

The move was expected by activists, following the end of legal attempts to gain extra time on the site.

Corporate media are, inevitably, keen to represent the physical removal of the camp as a defeat for the movement against neoliberalism.

But, as one Twitter comment remarked: "I wish the BBC would stop saying that the protest is now over. It's clearly far from over..."

And Occupylsx itself declared on Tuesday morning: "Globalspring is coming this may. Still united for #globalchange and #globaldemocracy. This is just the beginning."

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