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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Theresa May says St Paul's protesters should leave | Theresa May says St Paul's protesters should leave |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Home Secretary Theresa May has said the protesters camping outside St Paul's Cathedral should leave. | |
| She told BBC One's Question Time programme that St Paul's was an important site for the image of the UK. | |
| But Shadow Home Secretary Ed Balls said: "You can't dismiss this. These are real concerns of communities up and down our country." | But Shadow Home Secretary Ed Balls said: "You can't dismiss this. These are real concerns of communities up and down our country." |
| The activists, who have been at the site since 15 October, are protesting against inequality and corporate greed. | The activists, who have been at the site since 15 October, are protesting against inequality and corporate greed. |
| Speaking on the programme on Thursday night, Mrs May said: "Personally, yes, I would like to see them go. | |
| "St Paul's is a very important site. What we're looking at is an image of the UK. | "St Paul's is a very important site. What we're looking at is an image of the UK. |
| "I think it's important that people coming to the UK are able to visit sites like that and they're able to go on operating." | "I think it's important that people coming to the UK are able to visit sites like that and they're able to go on operating." |
| 'Starbucks coffee' | |
| Mr Balls told the programme: "It's good the Church is discussing with the protesters how to do this in a negotiated and peaceful way. | Mr Balls told the programme: "It's good the Church is discussing with the protesters how to do this in a negotiated and peaceful way. |
| "Politics has got to rise to a better level and say 'we're going to make this system work'." | "Politics has got to rise to a better level and say 'we're going to make this system work'." |
| During the debate, the home secretary's characterisation of the protesters was challenged by other members of the panel. | |
| She said: "These are anti-capitalist protesters but we have seen photos of them drinking their Starbucks coffee and using their Mac computers." | |
| But poet Benjamin Zephaniah questioned her comments, saying: "You really feel you cannot be an anti-capitalist protester and have a cup of coffee? | |
| And Mr Balls told Mrs May: "You can't dismiss these as a bunch of middle-class coffee drinkers. | |
| "The idea if you say 'I'm going to protest, therefore I'm anti-capitalist, anti-Starbucks and should be delegitimised' - what a load of nonsense." | |
| Earlier this week, the Corporation of London abandoned plans to take legal action to try to force the 200 or so protesters to leave. | Earlier this week, the Corporation of London abandoned plans to take legal action to try to force the 200 or so protesters to leave. |
| In what was described as a "great U-turn" by the Occupy London Stock Exchange (OLSX) group, the corporation made an offer to allow the protesters to stay until 2012. | In what was described as a "great U-turn" by the Occupy London Stock Exchange (OLSX) group, the corporation made an offer to allow the protesters to stay until 2012. |
| The corporation said it was looking to avoid legal action and had urged the protesters to "shrink" the size of the camp to enable it to clear the public highway. | |
| Cathedral authorities have invited the activists to take part in negotiations to try to end the demonstration. | Cathedral authorities have invited the activists to take part in negotiations to try to end the demonstration. |
| The OLSX campaign said the corporation's offer would lead to it leaving St Paul's on an agreed date in 2012. |