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The eviction hour has passed and Parliament Square's Democracy Village stands intact. Protesters were thrown a life line yesterday afternoon just hour before the 4pm deadline to move out - Lady Justice Smith granting a temporary "stay" on orders won by Mayor Boris Johnson in the High Court. That order delayed the eviction until 4pm today pending any applications to the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge his ruling - three applications were lodged at the Court of Appeal before the deadline. It is expected the High Court's original verdict will eventually stand. One was from Rebecca Hall, a student at the South Bank University. Veteran anti-war campaigner Brian Haw is also seeking an appeal. The efforts to remove the protesters has seen protracted legal proceedings and neared on the farcical as different peace groups demanded separate injunctions. Lady Justice Smith said: "It is plainly in the public interest that this matter is dealt with expeditiously. I think also that this is a matter of some real public importance."
Mayor "respects right to protest"
A spokeswoman for Mr Johnson said: "The mayor respects the right to demonstrate - however, the scale and impact of the protest has prevented its peaceful use by other Londoners. Parliament Square is a top tourist attraction visited by thousands of people and is broadcast around the world each day. We would urge the protesters to respect the court's ruling and now leave the site peacefully."
Blocked traffic - Two arrested
After the ruling, more than 50 protesters sat in the road outside the Houses of Parliament -later blocking traffic on Whitehall. Two people were arrested after climbing on to Parliament's gates and jumping into the yard, police said. "Mass activist callout" Council officials and police were ready to tackle over 50 Peace protesters from various groups who have been squatting in Westminster since May. A post on the Democracy Village blog has called for a "mass callout to activist groups to engage in imaginative non-violent action". Tents, banners, campfires, rubbish, and human excrement have been strewn across the iconic square; Mr Johnson said the camp had caused "considerable damage". The protesters have been occupying the central London square to register their objection against the Afghanistan war and several other issues. Democracy Village has housed an array of protesters, vagrants and helpers voicing concerns over Afghanistan, climate change, the Middle East and anti capitalism. They have called today's eviction an affront to democracy. After a nine-day hearing in London, the Mr Justice Williams concluded that there was "overwhelming evidence" that the Democracy Village defendants had breached bylaws. Photo - Facebook
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