Occupy Toronto had the ground pulled out from under it Monday afternoon when St. James Cathedral issued eviction notices to protesters, scuttling their plans to use church property as a sanctuary and provoking accusations of hypocrisy from protesters who once considered the cathedral a close ally.Since the city ordered the occupiers to dismantle their camp in St. James Park last week, protesters had been planning to seek refuge in the western part of the property, which is owned by the church but donated for public use in an agreement with the city that stretches back 50 years.
While church leaders have expressed sympathy with the Occupy movement, today they officially withdrew support for the actual camp out. The move comes hours after a judge rejected Occupy Toronto’s request for an injunction against the city’s eviction order, ruling that they have no right to take over public space at the expense of other citizens.
Taylor Chelsea, a protest organizer who had been in talks with the church to broker a compromise, said she felt betrayed the cathedral's leaders.
“The Occupy movement is an issue of justice, it’s an issue of vulnerable populations. And these guys are weaseling out of their god-given duties apparently,” she fumed. “They can’t say they want to do good work when they’re not doing the good work right now.”
Up until this afternoon, most in the camp thought seeking sanctuary on church property was still a possibility. But just after 2 pm, protesters already on edge after this morning’s ruling boiled over in anger when police escorted two city bylaw officers into the park to post eviction notices written on church letterhead on all tents on St. James-owned land. Occupiers quickly swarmed around the police, with some hurling insults at the officers while others played guitars or banged drums. Most of the notices were ripped down immediately, and many were burned in defiance.
One hour later at a press conference in a church building, the dean of St. James Cathedral defended the decision not to grant protesters refuge.
“The courts have spoken. And as we indicated last week, we would respect and follow the decision of the court,” said Dean Douglas Stoute. “We expect that the occupiers that have gone to the courts will also respect that decision.”
“I want to reiterate that the church supports the message of economic justice that has been raised by the Occupy movement around the globe,” he continued. "But the Occupy movement is not a movement of St. James Cathedral.”
The church's eviction notice said that in accordance with city bylaws, no one is allowed in the park between the hours of midnight and 5:30 am. The judge’s ruling earlier today means that the eviction orders are enforceable immediately.
While the city apparently has the green light to clear the park, Inspector Gary Meissner, the commanding officer for the operation, wouldn’t give a timeline of when the police will act if occupiers refuse to leave.
“I’ll give them plenty of time to comply first before further action is taken,” he told reporters at the edge of the park. Meissner said a contingent of police would remain to monitor the park, but wouldn’t say how many officers were on hand.
Occupiers were trying to post lookouts at all corners of the park to raise the alarm if police decide to move in with force.
Meanwhile, as the sun went down on Monday, protesters were preparing for a final showdown with the authorities. Activists were volunteering their cars to shuttle personal property and valuables out of the park, while occupiers were asked to divide themselves into red, orange, and green groups according to their willingness to be arrested.
Two men had built a barricade out of wooden slats around the entrance of one of the camp’s three yurts with the intent of chaining themselves inside.
“We’re not leaving the park,” said Kevin Konnyu, a photographer who has been organizing the Occupy Toronto protests since they began. “We are going to defend the park. We have people who are prepared to non-violently resist.”
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Source: NOW
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