Agressive Camping Banned in UK as Security Heightens

COMMENTARY With less than 6 months until the London Olympics, British agencies are scrambling to put safety measures in place to protect the city. The security challenges that are poised to threaten London’s 2012 Olympics come from all angles.

Occupy protestors singled out

Home Secretary Theresa May addressed the issues on Feb. 22 during a security conference in London. May banned tents and related equipment as a response to the Occupy-style protests expected during the games. The anti-capitalist protesters are part of the international movement inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protest. Many of these protestors have been camped outside London’s St. Paul Cathedral since October, but with the new policies in place, they will be forced to move. MSNBC reports that May called for “rapid follow-action by the police…using all available powers to remove encampments and equipment.”

Aggressive Camping

The threat of “aggressive camping” as it is called by Professor Michael Clarke, Royal United Service Institute’s director-general, should be one of the least of Britain’s worries as reported by MSNBC. The Olympic Games make London a very attractive target for terrorist attacks. Four billion people are expected to watch the games on television creating a prime opportunity for publicity for any extremists including, but in no way limited to; Al-Qaida, other jihad groups, and Northern Irish militants.

Displaced Londoners

Part of the problem with focusing on the “aggressive camping” seems to be the lack of room in London. Not only are an estimated one million additional people expected to flood the current population of London, many of the current tenants have been pushed out of their homes to make room for higher paying guests by greedy landlords as reported on Yahoo! News.

Displaced Immigrants

Hundreds of illegal immigrants are also stuck in the UK. They came in to work with plans to send money back home, as many immigrants do, but with the influx of new people, they are now stuck. A Sky News investigation published on Yahoo! News shows the poor conditions these men are living in, mainly in West London along canals and roads. Without money or even passports to get home, they are left helpless in the city.

All in all, aggressive camping may be a difficult case to prove in London throughout the next few months.