Occupy London Accuse Police Of Using Unprovoked Force

London, Nov 16, IRNA – Occupy London Stock Exchange (LSX) has accused the British police of using “unprovoked force” following the latest protest against the extreme concentrations of wealth and power. The unwarranted force was said to have been used without warning to forcefully ejected around 15 campaigners from Bishopsgate Police Station in the financial district of London, while they filming events and offering support for five arrested colleagues on Monday night. “Despite the wintry weather outside, the duty officers of Bishopsgate Station were not keen to have protesters staying within the police station. It also appears that they were displeased by the presence of the Occupy LSX livestream crew,” the campaign group said. The arrests were made by the City of London Police during a protest staged outside the Lord Mayor of London's annual banquet at Guildhall, which was attended by Prime Minister David Cameron, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London among other dignitaries. Up to 30 campaigners for social and economic justice were kettled by police after a section 14 order under the 1986 Public Order Act was issued, imposing conditions on the gathering. According to independent legal observers, those inside the kettle dispersed peacefully under the order but those arrested appeared to be “for just being there.” A further two campaigners were arrested during the eviction from Bishopsgate Police Station, including one who was attempting to film the incidents with a camera phone. The City of London Police cover only the financial district of the capital and is distinct from the Metropolitan Police, which covers the rest of the capital. Occupy LSX said that during the Lord Mayor's banquet, it also held a parody event entitled the Banquet for the People at its encampment at St Paul’s Cathedral in contrast to the extreme concentration of wealth and power represented at Guildhall. The encampment, which started last month, is part of a global movement that has taken place in at least 900 cities in over 80 countries around the world in protest against the global financial system./end