St. Paul’s Canon defends #occupyLSX from police


3:07 pm - October 16th 2011

by Newswire    


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The activist occupation in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral, next to the London Stock Exchange, was given a major boost today when Canon Giles Fraser emerged from the cathedral earlier this morning to defend their right to protest.

He also told protesters he had asked the police to leave last night but they refused to do so.

The Canon said:

People have a right to protest and I’m very happy that people have that right to protest. People have generally been respectful and I have asked the police to leave, they are going to be doing so in a second. It seems to me that all is well and calm.

I’ve seen what is going on and it seems to be that there doesn’t need police force in the numbers that there have been, so I have asked them to move and they have done.

Yesterday evening the Metropolitan Police tweeted a message saying, “St Paul’s Cathedral need to prepare for its Sunday services. We advise anyone outside St Paul’s to start leaving,” without official request from officials at St Paul’s Cathedral.

But the Met’s stunt backfired.

Around 250 people camped overnight at the location, despite attempts by the police to remove them.

Representatives from OccupyLSX say they are in dialogue with Canon Fraser to ensure everything runs smoothly for worshippers at the cathedral too.

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Reader comments


1. john P reid

canon giles fraser is defending the right to protest form police, When have the police said people aren’t allowed to protest,

does the Canon also defend occupattion ( a criminal offence )and it’s not the police personally who don’t like this, the’yre doing this as it’s their job to stop people who are breaking the law,

2. Daniel

Since Christ used direct action and damage to property as his form of protest, I’m not entirely sure that it would’ve been the Church’s place to criticise occupations for being illegal.

3. Leon Wolfson

That’s “defend”?

When the squatting laws are passed, since they refused to leave they’d all be going to jail..

4. Daz

rich landowners a more often than not descended from squatters – violent squatters, they inherited advantage from violent squatting, then equally violent repression throughout the centuries – now their propaganda & lackey lawyers is making that illegal?
am i seeing even the magna carta used as toilet paper, when the 99% want freedom from rich man’s opression??

5. Johnsleftnut

What rot!
The eeeeeevil Police were guarding his rich ass Cathedral and he asked if they would move as all would be okay…because he’s a groovy Bishop so the sciving students (with obviously no work to do or bills to pay and obviously with no responsibilities in their life) could sit on their lazy arses for a few weeks outside.

Because he’s down with the kids (that should please The Pope).


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