London Protesters May Close St Paul’s, Cathedral Leaders Say

October 20, 2011
By Howard Mustoe

(Bloomberg) -- St Paul’s Cathedral, Christopher Wren’s 17th century masterpiece, may be forced to close as a growing number of protesters against economic inequality fill its churchyard and deter visitors, the church said.

“The increased scale and nature of the protest camp is such that to act safely and responsibly the cathedral must now review the extent to which it can remain open for the many thousands coming this week as worshippers, visitors and in school parties,” Graeme Knowles, the cathedral’s dean and seven other leaders said in a statement. “Is it now time for the protest camp to leave? The consequences of a decision to close St Paul’s cannot be taken lightly.”

Anti-Wall Street demonstrations began in New York last month, with about 6,000 people gathering in Times Square for what organizers called a “global day of action against Wall Street greed” on Oct. 15. The protests then spread to Europe and Asia, with more than 100 people injured in Rome after as many as 200,000 people gathered, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported. the rest