The Bell Tolls for Occupy London

 

Sadly, the longest running occupy movement in the world came to a conclusion early in the morning of February 28th. 

From The Guardian (UK)...

As the bells of St Paul's chimed 1am on a mild February morning Giles Fraser, the cathedral's former canon chancellor, could not help but point out an irony to those around. It was John Donne, a former dean of St Paul's, who first cautioned "never to send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee". 

On this particular morning, it tolled for the remaining protesters of the Occupy London Stock Exchange movement, as their tent-poles, canvas and detritus were dragged away by City of London cleaners into waiting rubbish trucks. It was a moment the protesters had been expecting for five days, since the final appeal against eviction from the outside the cathedral was denied at the court of appeal. 

The first signs that the authorities were ready to clear the camp, which had stood in the square in front of St Paul's since 15 October came shortly before midnight, as occupiers noticed an unusually high number of police officers in the streets around the site. "Hearing reports of massed police at St James and London Wall," tweeted Naomi Colvin, a prominent, if unofficial, spokeswoman for Occupy. "Tonight is likely the night."

A look back at a few pics of Occupy London from early and mid-February...