Squatters evicted from land outside Mike Freer MP's office
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Occupy movement: Squatters say MPs need to address the housing crisis instead of making squatting illegal
THE group of protesters which had occupied the front yard of the office anti-squatting MP Mike Freer were evicted this morning.
The squatters from Occupy London, who locally rose to prominence for their part in the reopening of Friern Barnet Library last year, had begun their protest at Mr Freer’s Finchley and Golders Green constituency office in Ballards Lane on Friday afternoon – flying in the face of the MP’s stance on squatting.
But bailiffs acting on behalf of the Finchley and Golders Green Conservative Association removed the group's tents and belongings at around 6am this morning.
The group are now stationed across the road, where they are continuing their protest.
Mr Freer was one of the main architects of section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, which criminalised the squatting of residential properties.
The squatters' spokesman Pete Phoenix said that solicitors from Bindmans, the law firm advising the group, had told the squatters that they were “surprised” that Mr Freer had “not gone through the proper channels” and resolved the matter in court.
“We will continue to follow Mike Freer around and ask him to help the homeless,” Mr Phoenix said. “He is refusing to support poor people in the borough.”
Mr Freer, who earlier this week said said he did not believe that squatting was not a good way to solve the housing crisis, had sent the group an email on Tuesday asking them to leave.
Today the MP said: “The squatters and the camp were disrupting my constituency office and its presence was intimidating.
“A polite request for the squatters to leave was ignored as were instructions on how to arrange an appointment, so it was decided that we had no alternative but to lawfully remove the squatters from the property.”
The squatters, who were evicted from The Bohemia, in High Road North Finchley, two weeks ago had moved temporarily into a disused building in Granville Road – across the road from Mr Freer’s office – last week, but moved out on Saturday after reaching an agreement with the landlord.
Mr Phoenix added that Occupy London would hold an assembly on the housing crisis and section 144 across the road from Mr Freer's office at 7.30pm tonight.
Email: koos.couvee@nlhnews.co.uk
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