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Report: United Kingdom

London High Court holds off on Occupy eviction

The Occupy London protest has been granted a week and a half's stay of execution of attempts to evict the protest camp in front of St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. The country's High Court heard the left-wing activists' appeal against eviction on Monday and will not pronounce for nine days, guaranteeing one of the world's longest-running occupy camps another week of life. 

Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett
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As Occupy London approaches four months in London's financial district, they face a court-ordered eviction in a case brought by the Corporation of the City of London.

Monday, at the High Court, dozens of protesters, some wearing the Guy Fawkes mask associated with the movement, arrived to appeal against the eviction.

"I think our chances were very much scuppered by the judgement of the first judge, Judge Lindbloom," Occupier Sarah Jewell said. "That kind of set the ground for this court today, who will probably also stick very very clearly to the letter of the law. We have a very traditional judge sitting for us today."

Jewell didn't have high hopes going into the appeal and said arrangements have already been made to evacuate the camp.

"What we're very much hoping in this case - if we do lose the appeal - that we'll be given around three days to pack up and clear out," she told RFI. "I think that the majority of occupiers are resigned to the fact that the camp will be dismantled. But there are a few who have decided that they haven't spent three months in the cold to just walk away, so they'll lock on."

But, in a surprise twist, a group of tenters presented themselves in court, said they were from Anonymous UK and not Occupy London and that they had not received eviction orders.

This caught the City's lawyer off guard as he claimed that all tents had been served with papers.

A police statement produced by the hacktivists' group, Anonymous, showed that they were indeed not included in the Occupy eviction - throwing into doubt the legality of the entire process.

"It's a very bizarre opportunity that the Corporation of London has given us because we've never said that we've been part of Occupy," said Stephen R Moore a retired bailiff, speaking for Anonymous. "We've always said, 'This is Anonymous.' And as you can see we've got our own flag, our own sign, our own information area."

"We did ask them at the time, you know - 'where's our notices?' "

Judges will rule on Occupy's appeal on 22 February .

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