Voluntary Sector: Taking Action ... Occupy London Stock Exchange vs UBS

Protesters: Occupy London Stock Exchange
Target: UBS
Location: Hackney, east London
Date: 18 November

The lowdown

Occupy London Stock Exchange protesters extended their action by taking over an empty office block in Hackney owned by UBS bank. A dozen activists gained access to the building last Thursday night, 'giving them a legal claim on the space'. They said the office would be reopened on Saturday morning as the 'Bank of Ideas', with a programme of talks and comedy lined up. Meanwhile, the deadline has passed for people camping outside St Paul's Cathedral to leave or face court action.

Why the protest?

Occupy London described the move as 'public repossession'. Jack Holburn, a supporter of the group, said: 'While more than 9,000 families were kicked out of their homes in the past three months for failing to keep up mortgage payments, mostly due to the recession caused by the banks, UBS and other financial giants are sitting on massive abandoned properties.'

How did UBS respond?

A UBS spokeswoman said: 'We are taking appropriate action.'

How did the media cover it?

Thanks to Occupy's high profile, the story gained a huge amount of coverage across the media, many of whom focused on Occupy London's comments about public repossession and the Bank of Ideas.