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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Occupy London protesters leave Barbican building | Occupy London protesters leave Barbican building |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Occupy London protesters who took over a fifth site in the capital have left the office building they had occupied. | Occupy London protesters who took over a fifth site in the capital have left the office building they had occupied. |
| Demonstrators ended their occupation of the building in the Barbican of their own accord, City Of London Police said. | Demonstrators ended their occupation of the building in the Barbican of their own accord, City Of London Police said. |
| Up to 20 people moved into Roman House, on Fore Street, Barbican, early on Saturday, an Occupy spokesman said. | Up to 20 people moved into Roman House, on Fore Street, Barbican, early on Saturday, an Occupy spokesman said. |
| The owners, Berkeley Homes, have secured the empty building, which was "not safe for public use" and police officers are no longer at the site. | The owners, Berkeley Homes, have secured the empty building, which was "not safe for public use" and police officers are no longer at the site. |
| The Occupy campaigners had said they planned to "open the building to the public" on Monday. | The Occupy campaigners had said they planned to "open the building to the public" on Monday. |
| However Naomi Colvin, of the group, said they had moved out to avoid putting the jobs at risk of those working on Roman House, and not because of safety concerns. | |
| Legal advice | |
| "Contractors employed by Berkeley Homes contacted us directly and asked us to reconsider," Ms Colvin told the BBC. | |
| "While they fully supported our cause they had expressed concerns about their project being mothballed due to our presence on the site." | |
| She said that while most residents in the area had welcomed the protesters there were "mixed feelings" about them. | |
| "Generally [though] we had a good and enthusiastic response from locals," Ms Colvin continued. | |
| "This has galvanised our group and we fully intend to resume our protests on Monday in a public area near the Barbican." | |
| On Saturday, Berkeley Homes described the group's actions at Roman House as "misguided". | |
| "It is not safe for public use, there are holes in the floors and we are in the early stages of asbestos removal," a spokesman said. | |
| He said the firm had taken legal advice because of concerns for the safety of the group. |