 |
| London, UK |
AFP - The "outrage" of London began Saturday to install a second camp in the capital, following the decision of the religious authorities to close the Cathedral of St. Paul because of the presence of protesters on the square for a week. These activists, who protest against the crisis and the excesses of capitalism, settled on October 15 on the steps of the cathedral located in the financial district of the City, inspired by the movement "Occupy Wall Street" in New York and of "outrage" of Madrid. The camp rose to 70 in a week to more than 200 tents, and religious authorities cited security reasons and safety Friday to close the doors of the cathedral to the public.
Saturday, hundreds of activists and supporters gathered on the steps of the church, and some of them began a walk to Finsbury Square, not far from where they set up a score of tents, a told AFP a spokesman of the movement, Robert Gant. The activists were to see whether the occupants of the camp of St. Paul were all going to rally the second site or if they stayed there. If the cathedral was closed to the public Saturday, weddings are still held. Natasha Ighodaro and Nick Cunningham, who had planned the ceremony for months, however, had to give up the majestic main entrance of St. Paul and resolve to take a side door, as their guests.
The bride, smiling, said after the ceremony that there was "no disturbance". "It was wonderful, fantastic," she assured. The tourists, they have found the door closed. Juul van der Au, a Dutch woman of 21, was unable to visit the cathedral as it planned, and took pictures of the camp, without any bitterness. "I'm not too disappointed, there are plenty of other things to see in London, we'll probably go to Westminster Abbey," said the young woman came for a family weekend in London. "It's for a noble cause," Judge says. The decision to close the cathedral for the first time since World War II, causes a significant loss to the tourist mecca. A spokesman for the cathedral said the loss of tourism revenue to 16,000 pounds (18,300 euros) per day of closing.
Laura Martin, an activist of 29 years, considers the crucial public support. For her, the decision to close the cathedral is a way to "pressure" on the protesters. But an eviction by force of activists, the protest is peaceful, would return an image disaster for the authorities and not "would not in their interest," she considers.
