Police and bailiffs began evicting the Occupy London camp at the St. Paul's Cathedral late on Monday, removing tents and other equipment from the protest site.
Although eviction of the site progressed without any violent incidents, law enforcement officials encountered resistance from a small number of protesters who refused to move from a wooden platform they had set up at the site earlier.
The protesters insist that they have the right to remain at the site as an earlier High Court order that prompted Monday's eviction refers only to the removal of tents and equipment at the camp.
The development comes days after the Occupy London protesters were denied permission to appeal a High Court verdict permitting their evacuation from the site.
While ruling that the City of London Corporation's decision to evict the camp was "lawful and justified," the High Court had granted it orders of possession and injunctions.
The Corporation said in a statement that it had "begun to enforce the High Court orders for the removal of the tents and equipment outside St. Paul's," adding that court enforcement officers employed by the Corporation were "undertaking the removal with the police present to ensure public safety and maintain order."
Requesting the protesters at the camp to "move on peacefully," the Corporation said: "We regret that it has come to this but the High Court Judgment speaks for itself and the Court of Appeal has confirmed that judgment."
The statement added that the Corporation is "ensuring vulnerable people are being helped and supported to find appropriate accommodation in partnership with Broadway, a charity for the homeless."
The Occupy London camp at St. Paul's Cathedral in the British capital city was set up on October 15 to campaign against economic inequality and corporate greed. Similar protests movement were also launched in several overseas cities like New York, Sydney, Toronto, Rome and Tokyo. But most of them have since been dismantled by authorities citing health and safety concerns.
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