Protesters camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London were evicted by High Court Enforcement Officers from Shergroup, working with City of London Corporation officials. Tents covering the pavement in front of the Wren cathedral were cleared in less than four hours, during a late night operation observed by over 100 protesters from the OCCUPY movement.
A group of about a dozen protestors was removed safely from a structure made of wooden pallets. Another protester had to be removed from a tree.
Claire Sandbrook, Chief Executive of Shergroup and an authorised High Court Enforcement Officer said afterwards: “We are always pleased when a high profile matter such as this goes off without incident. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the City of London officials who have worked with us on every detail to ensure the safety of the public along with our policing partners in the City of London Police and Metropolitan Police service.”
The contract firm said that the High Court Writ of Possession was executed according to Shergroup’s operational plan, including health and safety parameters. At the same time, Shergroup undertook a second eviction at a former school nearby which had also been squatted by protesters.
Mrs Sandbrook added: “It is vital that the enforcement of High Court orders sets the standard for every eviction carried out in England and Wales, and we believe our approach is now at a world class standard incorporating as it does the very real need to work to policing standards and also to ensure the safety of everyone involved or present at the site in question.” The City of London Corporation pointed out that the High Court found in favour of the City of London Corporation in the case against the camp at St Paul’s on 18 January 2012. The High Court found that the City of London Corporation ‘behaved both responsibly and fairly throughout.’
See evidence on www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/stpaulslegal
