Occupy protesters at Washington DC park challenge eviction by officials

Occupy protesters in US and European cities are facing police action in an effort to remain at sites. In London, protesters are criticizing the force used by security officers to evict protesters from an abandoned building owned by UBS BANK. According to the Guardian, 50 protesters were removed during a confrontation at which witnesses said an officer punched a photographer and then drove his car toward another. Protesters said the original encampment by St Paul’s Cathedral could be next.

In Washington DC, one of the largest and longest running Occupy encampments in the U.S. is in jeopardy today, as the National Parks Service promised to start enforcing a ban on camping in McPhearson Square. The move comes after a congressional committee criticized the director of the National Park Service for allowing the Occupy encampment to continue for nearly four months, citing concerns of health, safety and the rule of law. But those living in the park say the First Amendment protects them, and they’re not going anywhere. FSRN’s Alice Ollstein reports.