Police raid on protesters in bank squat

Anti-capitalist protesters today complained that police were taking a tough new US-style approach to their attempts to set up squats in the City.

Officers executed a lightning raid only hours after Occupy London activists tried to take over a former Midland Bank building in the Square Mile.

Four people were arrested and 25 evicted after officers swooped on the premises near City of London Police headquarters in Wood Street.

Michel Kidane Mariam, 23, an Italian student at the site, said he saw the eviction at the old bank, the sixth building in the City occupied by the group.

"The police used American-style tactics of 'whether it's legal or not, we deal with the problem now and sort it out later'," he said.

"We found a building behind Moorgate station with an open entrance and about 25 people went in. The police were called and they physically blocked the entrance with officers.

"They arrested four people for theft of a padlock and took them to Snow Hill police station. That's ridiculous because they had no evidence."

City police said there had been no change of tactics and officers had acted after they found evidence the protesters had committed criminal damage in breaking into the building.

Spyro Van Leemnen, from Occupy London, said the officers' actions were "wholly disproportionate" and claimed the building was legally occupied. He said: "We tried to occupy the abandoned bank before the police entered and arrested four people with the excuse a padlock had been stolen, but the building was already left empty."

Elsewhere, a possession notice was served on a squat at an empty UBS bank building in Sun Street, Moorgate.

The unnamed bailiff warned protesters they had until Sunday to get out before police take action. A hard core of 25 protesters vowed to stay at the site until they are asked to leave.

The multi-million-pound complex owned by the Swiss investment bank was the first building to be occupied by the protesters.

The police action came as Home Secretary Theresa May warned that attempts to set up protest camps during the Olympics will not be tolerated.

She said camps such as the one at St Paul's Cathedral would be considered "a threat". The City of London has now won a High Court order to remove protesters camping on its land outside the cathedral.

Occupy has targeted empty buildings formerly used or owned by financial institutions in recent weeks. They relinquished control of an eight-storey office building in the City on Monday amid warnings that it was unsafe.