Occupy London protesters evicted from City office block

Peaceful eviction from empty UBS building is followed by alleged assault by bailiff during removal of neighbouring squatters

guardian.co.uk, Lizzy Davies, Monday 30 January 2012

Protesters, bailiffs and police clash outside the London office block from
 which Occupy members and squatters were evicted. Photograph:
Jules Mattsson/LNP

Dozens of Occupy London protesters have been evicted from a disused office block in the City of London, criticising police and bailiffs for what they called heavy-handed and "utterly irresponsible" tactics.

Around 50 protesters were evicted peacefully from the UBS-owned building they had turned into an educational hub called the Bank of Ideas, shortly after midnight. Police and bailiffs then moved to evict squatters from another building in the complex, also owned by the Swiss banking giant, during which protesters claim a photographer was punched in the face by a bailiff who then drove his car at speed towards more protesters.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan police said a man, understood to be the bailiff, had been arrested after an allegation of assault and criminal damage. Another man, believed to be a protester, was briefly arrested "to prevent a breach of the peace" but quickly released.

The photographer, Jules Mattsson, reported the assault allegation on Twitter. "I am, obviously, pretty pissed off about this all," he wrote. "I have a right to go about my job covering news without fear of assault."

One of the protesters present at the Earl Street site, who gave her name only as Anna, said the bailiffs were aggressive.

"I'm a photographer; I had one guy smash his fist into my camera. When I wheeled back from that he then hit me in the head and pushed me back by my face." She said she asked for his identification number and he responded with a threat.

In a statement, the Occupy movement said protesters had been "brought out peacefully and were allowed to take their belongings with them". But it added: "We are also gravely concerned that the police's actions this morning demonstrated a greater concern for the well-being of a building than the safety of the public. We look forward to receiving a formal response."

Around 70 protesters from the movement had gathered outside the building in solidarity with the squatters, who were not affiliated with the organisation.

"There was an awful lot of people around me also being pushed and shoved," Anna said.

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