Six arrests were made during a major police operation to support the eviction of protesters from a London housing estate which has become a rallying point for campaigners opposing controversial regeneration schemes.
A standoff following scuffles late on Tuesday at the Aylesbury Estate, which is being cleared for demolition before a £1.5bn regeneration project, after the local council moved to evict a group who took over part of the estate following a March for Homes protest in London earlier this month.
Notting Hill Housing was named last year as the development partner for a 20-year regeneration scheme to build 4,000 homes.
Taking inspiration from recent housing campaigns such as Focus E15 and New Era, the people involved in the the occupation at the Aylesbury had mounted a last-ditch legal bid to challenge their eviction by Southwark council.
Speaking at the scene shortly after the eviction on Tuesday night, activist Charlie Ebert accused the police of heavy handedness and said the estate had become synonymous with a London housing shortage affecting the poor.
“What’s going on here is effectively social cleansing to make London a nice ‘clean’ place for the rich,” he said. “A group of us wanted to stand in the way of that so we took over some of the flats as an act of solidarity.”
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