Parliament Square protesters evicted

Protesters who set up a makeshift "democracy village" in Parliament Square against the war in Afghanistan were evicted by bailiffs early today. A barrier of green plastic reinforced by a six-foot metal fence, described by one activist as a "green Berlin wall", now prevents them from reclaiming the area. An attempt to overturn a high court ruling that gave the mayor of London the right to remove the village was rejected by the court of appeal on Friday. Watched by police, around 50 bailiffs began to evict protesters and remove their tents and belongings at 1am, in an operation that lasted more than three hours. Some protesters chained themselves to scaffolding. Claire Sandbrook, chief executive of Shergroup, the high court enforcement agency employed to clear the village, said that her company filmed the eviction to ensure there was no wrongdoing. Some of those removed have started a smaller camp of nine tents alongside anti-war protester Brian Haw, who was not affected by the high court ruling. Colin Barrow, leader of Westminster city council, said he was "relieved this dreadful blight of Parliament Square has finally come to an end". He looked forward "to it being restored to its previous condition, so all Londoners can visit and enjoy it".