Crystal Palace Site Evicted

The protest camp at Crystal Palace has been evicted at a cost of over 1 million pounds. The camp was set up in April of last year to resist the planned 18 screen multiplex development on park land in South London.

On the 3rd March, bailiffs, accompanied by around 350 police, moved on to the site and began removing the 50 people present from the various tree and bunker defences. The eviction was completed a record breaking 19 days later when the last two occupants of the site voluntarily came out of the bunker they had been in since the beginning of the eviction. They chose to come out because the bailiffs had almost got through to them anyway and they had run out of food and water.

All those who were on site when the bailiffs came were arrested. 30 were charged with obstructing an officer of the court, two with assaulting an officer and one with affray. One man was remanded, due in court on March 30th, charged with obstructing an officer of the court and breach of bail. One resident of the site, Animal, was remanded in custody, see prisoners section.

Meanwhile, on the 20th a solidarity action was staged at the Universal Cinemas International cinema in Leicester Square. Four people with placards climbed up on the roof and took down the union jack which was flying there while a crowd, estimated by police to number around 900, gathered on the ground below.

The campaign is far from over. Contact: 0181 693 8200

'As Anarchists we understand Direct Action to be the only way people are empowered and real change achieved... As capitalist media cannot be expected to fairly represent any action that undermines the capitalist system, we will not be saying any more.' (from the joint statement of the last two people evicted from the site)