Occupy London has lost a battle but started a war over public space

The Corporation of London claims it has no objection to protest, yet the erosion of the public realm makes it all but impossible

The irony of what has been going on in Paternoster Square verges on the Orwellian. Since the beginning of the dispute the businesses in the square have complained that they have lost business, implying that the protesters have driven custom away. In reality, it is the owners who have banned the public from entering.

The design of this development was very controversial when it got the go-ahead, owing to the sensitivities of the site with its proximity to historic St Paul's. What no one debated at the time were the implications of closing ancient public highways and curtailing public access and democratic protest.

This is the context for the corporation's case, which is seeking to evict the protesters because they are obstructing public highways. The corporation claims that it has no objection to peaceful protest but that it is opposed to camping. The truth is that it has presided over the removal of the right to any protest, not only in Paternoster Square but throughout the City of London.