Dozens of anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protesters forced out of camp by council

By Owen Sheppard, local democracy reporter

Dozens of anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protesters are being forced off Shepherd’s Bush Green after a camp appeared two weeks ago.

About 20 tents have been occupying the Green in defiance against Covid restrictions.

On June 14, Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s possession order for the camp to be removed was given the green light by the High Court.

This was after protesters had appealed against an initial court order given last week.

A council spokesperson confirmed that its officers were removing tents today (June 15).

A Met Police spokesperson simply said its officers attended to “prevent any breach of the peace”.

Piers Corbyn, the elder brother of former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, recently appeared at the camp to show his support for the protesters.

The older Corbyn, who ran for Mayor of London with anti-lockdown, anti-vax messages, today said: “It’s a land squat… It’s a peaceful protest.

“Most of the people there have been staying overnight. It was great being there. Most were just sitting around, listening to music and protesting against the government’s lockdown, obviously.”

Mr Corbyn, who secured one per cent of the vote last month, and is an outspoken denier of man-made climate change, continued: “It’s a pack of lies, everything the Government tells us about Covid. It’s a con.

“I can’t speak for any individual but the movement is against lockdowns and is generally against the so-called vaccines.”

Infection rates in London have been steadily rising and the Indian variant of Covid-19, now named the Delta variant, accounts for the majority of new cases.

The most recent data shows that, in the seven days leading up to June 9, there were 5,725 new cases recorded in Greater London.

In Hammersmith and Fulham, over the same period, there were 174 new cases recorded. This gave the borough an infection rate of 96 cases per 100,000 residents.

However, experts say that the vaccines have been helping to protect the population, which explains why far fewer people are falling seriously ill or dying than in previous months.

Today’s action on the Green came after council leader Stephen Cowan wrote in the authority’s weekly newsletter that protesters had been “harassing residents”

Mr Cowan said: “I never want to give any publicity to anti-vaxxers, but those currently camping out on Shepherds Bush Green handing out dangerously misleading leaflets, and in some cases harassing residents, are a public health risk.

“We have raised our concerns with the police and are pursuing all legal avenues for the anti-vaxxers’ removal.”