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Bristol City Council acts to remove tree-top bus protesters Bristol City Council acts to remove tree-top bus protesters
(35 minutes later)
A council wanting to evict a group of tree-top protesters in Bristol has started "enforcement action". Action to evict a group of tree-top protesters in Bristol has been started by the city council.
Campaigners for the Rising Up group are unhappy about a proposed new bus route and have been perched in the trees at Stapleton Allotments for over a month.Campaigners for the Rising Up group are unhappy about a proposed new bus route and have been perched in the trees at Stapleton Allotments for over a month.
Bristol City Council said "security specialists" had started to remove protesters at about 07:40 GMT.Bristol City Council said "security specialists" had started to remove protesters at about 07:40 GMT.
A spokesman said it followed "several attempts" to resolve the protest and for protestors to leave willingly. Jennifer Harrison, who has been occupying a tree for 40 days, said she was "not going to walk off site".
"I'm looking down watching people try to physically tug someone along the ground and watching them dismantle our community," she added.
"And watching, yet again, the powers-that-be disregard the wants and desires of the local community.
"I am peacefully occupied, I will not resist in anyway but I'm also not going to walk off site."
'Peaceful and democratic protest''Peaceful and democratic protest'
A council spokesman said the action followed "several attempts" to resolve the protest and for protestors to leave willingly.
Peter Mann, Bristol City Council's service director for transport said: "Our top priority is to safely and effectively bring a resolution to this protest.Peter Mann, Bristol City Council's service director for transport said: "Our top priority is to safely and effectively bring a resolution to this protest.
"We have engaged professional, experienced security experts to help protestors leave the site safely."We have engaged professional, experienced security experts to help protestors leave the site safely.
"We respect people's right to peaceful and democratic protest but that cannot extend to the illegal occupation of someone else's land."We respect people's right to peaceful and democratic protest but that cannot extend to the illegal occupation of someone else's land.
"Today's actions follow several opportunities for the protestors to leave voluntarily and even today they are being offered the opportunity to leave of their own accord." "Today's actions follow several opportunities for the protesters to leave voluntarily and even today they are being offered the opportunity to leave of their own accord."
The council said it expected the process to "take some time to complete, depending on any actions taken by individual protestors". Mr Mann said he hoped the process would be over "in a couple of hours".