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City Of London V Samede And Others

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City of London v Samede and others [2012] EWHC 34 (QB) What is at stake in this litigation for the parties in the case and more broadly? (500) In this case, we have the defendants’ protest camp which was set up in St. Paul’s Churchyard on 15 and 16 of October 2011. It consisted of 150-160 tents, many used by protestors, either regularly or from time to time, as overnight accommodation and for several other activities and services. The defendant protestors had started to infringe on the area around St. Paul and set up camps. At an earlier stage some adjustments had been made to it in an effort to keep fire lanes open. The safety of the public as well as those protesting was rising and immediate attention was needed. The highway land in the City’s ownership that is occupied by the camp has been referred to in the proceedings as Area 1; it is divided into two sections a short distance apart. Adjoining that land is a smaller area, which has been referred to as Area 2 and is owned by the Church. Area 1 is part of a much larger area of highway and open land around the cathedral, which has been referred to as Area 3. The City has given no licence or consent for the protest camp, which, by the time of hearing, had been in place for more than two months. Attempts by the City to agree with protestors a time for its removal have failed. Several witnesses for the defendants have made it clear that they intend to stay for some time. Upon default, possession proceedings were issued

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