St. Paul’s Canon Resigns Over Plans To Evict Occupy London, Will Not ‘Accept Violence In The Name Of The Church’

The city of London announced yesterday that it would begin legal actions to have the more than 200 protesters who have been encamped near St. Paul’s Cathedral in London evicted. The protesters had been there since Oct. 15 to protest the nearby London Stock Exchange as part of the Occupy London Stock Exchange protests.

In response to the planned eviction of the demonstrators, the Rev. Dr. Giles Fraser, the canon chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, has announced that he will resign in protest. Fraser said he will not accept “violence in the name of the Church.” An Occupy London spokeswoman said that Fraser’s action was “very inspiring“:

In a statement to the Guardian, Fraser, who was appointed canon in May 2009, confirmed his resignation, saying: “I resigned because I believe that the chapter has set on a course of action that could mean there will be violence in the name of the church.” [...] A spokeswoman, Naomi Colvin, added: “Courage like that is really very inspiring. It reassures us that what we’re doing is important. The people who have a bit of integrity, it’s becoming more obvious who those people are. I hope we can do well enough to justify their sacrifices.”

The “City of London Corporation, which is the local authority for the Square Mile, is meeting on Thursday to discuss plans for any eviction. A formal meeting will take place on Friday, when the corporation’s planning and transportation committee considers advice on how to resolve the deadlock.”