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(via Occupy London protesters take over empty UBS bank offices | UK news | The Guardian)

Activists from the Occupy London movement have abruptly changed tactics, following a month of open-air tent protests, by seizing a vacant office complex owned by a major global bank.

In the early hours of Friday morning, protesters entered a series of interconnected buildings owned by UBS on the fringe of the City, which have lain empty for several years. They immediately claimed squatters’ rights, posting a legal notice to that effect.

By mid-morning, several dozen people were inside, cleaning up patches of damp and collapsed ceiling plaster and hanging giant banners from windows, several targeting the actions of UBS, which has its Londonheadquarters are across the street.

In contrast to Occupy’s existing camps in the capital – next to St Paul’s Cathedral and on Finsbury Square – the new outpost will not be primarily residential but aims to act as a forum for ideas and meetings.

Called by protesters the Bank of Ideas, the buildings, near Liverpool Street, will hold an inaugural conference of Occupy movements from around the UK this weekend. A statement by the group promised a show by the comedian Josie Long and a seminar by Alessio Rastani, the independent financial trader who made headlines in September by telling the BBC that investment banks were now more powerful than governments.

“The Bank of Ideas will host a full events programme where people will be able to trade in creativity rather than cash,” said Sarah Layler of the group. “We will also make space available for those that have lost their nurseries, community centres and youth clubs to savage government spending cuts.”

It marks a further sign of the growing confidence of the UK movement, which sprang from an international wave of protests against the perceived excesses and inequalities of the global financial system.

Occupy London has attracted significant attention since opening its camp on land next to St Paul’s on 15 October after police thwarted an initial plan for a base next to the London Stock Exchange. A fierce debate was sparked within the Church of England about equality and the right to protest, resulting in two senior clergy leaving their jobs.

Source: Guardian