A makeshift camp has been set up outside St Paul’s Cathedral, with anti-capitalist protesters set to bed down for a second night in London’s financial district.
Around 2,000 to 3,000 gathered in the area around the London Stock Exchange on Saturday as a movement that began in New York with Occupy Wall Street spread worldwide.
Tents were pitched at the foot of the steps of St Paul’s last night after police cordoned off Paternoster Square, where the stock exchange is located.
Hundreds of people camped overnight and clergymen told protesters this morning they had no problem with their presence as Sunday services took place as normal.
Between 200 and 300 remain there tonight, Scotland Yard said, but “the mood is calm”, according to a spokesman.
Earlier The Reverend Dr Giles Fraser, Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, said that while he hadn’t given his specific backing to the occupation of St Paul’s Churchyard he supported the democratic right to protest.
He said: “People have a right to protest and it’s been very good natured.
“Church went down well this morning. There were no problems. We had no problems getting people in. People were very helpful.”
Dr Fraser also said he had asked police to move off the steps this morning in order to allow worshippers better access to the cathedral.
He said: “The police have been very good as well. I haven’t seen any trouble, I understood there might have been some but I haven’t seen any trouble.
“The police were trying to protect the building for us which was very good of them.
“Earlier this morning I asked them if they’d leave because I didn’t feel that it needed that sort of protection.”
Asked what he thought about protesters staying another night, he said: “It’s cold, isn’t it going to be cold tonight? We’ll see how it goes, we’re taking one day at a time and it’s really good to see it’s all worked out well for us today.”
Dr Fraser said he had talked about the protest in his sermons this morning.
He said: “The gospel reading was about God and money quite extraordinarily, so I did preach about it.
“Some people from the protest came in for mass, it was really good to see them as well.”
One protester, a pensioner from London who gave her name as Ruth, said: “The vicar said he had no problem with us being here, he could see we weren’t here against the church, we were here against the stock exchange.
“He said that the bad news was that the cathedral’s bells are really loud, that our samba band was loud last night but we ain’t seen nothing yet, and that it would wake us all up.
“We said that’s absolutely fine with us and we’re delighted to have his support.”
The Met Police said it had made efforts to ensure the protest was largely peaceful.
Eight arrests have been made, and six of those arrested have been charged.
A 17-year-old girl is still in police custody, on suspicion of assaulting police, and a 41-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assaulting police has been released on bail.
Those charged will appear at City of London Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
Michael Firth, 39, of Claremont Road, Surbiton, Surrey, was charged under the Public Order Act. Benjamin James Marsh, 28, of no fixed address, was charged with the possession of cannabis. Justin Nickol, 30, of High Street, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, was charged with failing to remove covering, contrary to the Public Order Act. Nigal James McCorkell, 24, of Belgrade Road, north London, was charged with affray.
A final man, details of whom were not released by police, was charged under the Public Order Act.
Occupy London Stock Exchange supporter Anna Jones claimed “a disproportionate amount of force” was used by police against protesters outside St Paul’s.
She said: “We have seen people kettled, grabbed and thrown off the steps forcefully by the police. This was entirely unnecessary. None came here to have a fight with the police.”
A spokesman for the protesters said the demonstration was to “challenge the bankers and the financial institutions which recklessly gambled our economy”.
“This occupation and 20 other occupations all around the UK have been directly inspired by what’s happening all across America and especially Wall Street,” he added.
Well-known activists including Julian Assange and Peter Tatchell were among the protesters in London yesterday.
Mr Assange, creator of the WikiLeaks website, addressed the crowds on the steps of St Paul’s. A spokeswoman for the protesters said he had been challenged by police for wearing a mask as he walked to the protest.
Activists carried banners with slogans such as “We are the 99%” and “Bankers got a bailout, we got sold out”.
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