The Bishop of London has added his voice to the growing requests for the Occupy protest camp to vacate St Paul’s.
The debate around the camp’s purpose seems to have shifted over the last few days as focus has moved to the impact of the protest on surrounding businesses and the Cathedral itself. On Monday night, in an apparent attempt to demonstrate that Occupy tents were unoccupied while their owners were presumably snuggled up in hypocritically-soft capitalist beds, the Telegraph visited the camp armed with thermal imaging cameras. Claims have also been made in the media that evidence pointing to a 10% occupancy rate was gathered by a police helicopter with thermal imaging equipment, a claim refuted by City of London police. The allegation was also hotly denied by Occupy who say their signing-in process is designed to prevent low occupancy.
Not everyone is unappreciative of Occupy’s efforts though – street artist Banksy is claimed to have presented the camp with a sculpture in recognition of their protest.
The latest plea from ecclesiastical quarters comes from the Right Reverend Richard Chartres after similar requests from the Dean and Chancellor of St Paul’s failed; presumably the clergy will have to turn to a higher power for intervention.
