A Calgary judge has ordered an end to the Occupy Calgary protest.According to the City of Calgary, Chief Justice Neil Wittmann approved the city's request Tuesday to order the protesters to tear down their camp at a downtown park.
Occupy protesters will have to vacate Olympic Plaza by Friday at 2 p.m. After that, protesters will be violating a court order.
The protestors had set up camp at that location on Oct. 15.
The city has been criticized for not forcibly removing them, but the police chief has praised the city for not turning this into a confrontation.
Officials did start removing tents last month and have tried to negotiate deals with the remaining protestors, with no success.
Finally last Friday, the city went to court looking for an injunction to prevent camping on Olympic Plaza.
The city said the bylaw banning camping in public spaces is being violated and other citizens would like to utilize the space. It also says a fire that started in a tent Nov. 16, injuring two people, raised safety issues.
The protesters have said in the past that even with an eviction order, they're not going anywhere.
Ben Christensen, a litigation advisor who represented the protesters, said last Friday that he had wanted an adjournment so he could submit more affidavits and better prepare for the case. He feels the city did not give them enough time to gather evidence.
The city will be holding a news conference to provide more details on where things go from here.
Origin
Source: Huff
No comments:
Post a Comment