Legal
HSBC Hong Kong Seeks To Send In The Bailiffs
HSBC in Hong Kong has started legal proceedings against the anti-capitalist Occupy protesters currently gathered in the plaza underneath its central offices, after they failed to respond to a request for them to leave.
According to a filing to the High Court of Hong Kong, the bank named the occupiers of the Queen's Road Central site and three other individuals as defendants in its lawsuit.
The demonstrators ignored an earlier request by HSBC that they voluntarily pack up their belongings and vacate the premises. The city’s High Court will hear the application on July 16, said a spokesman for the bank.
He added: "The bank has started legal proceedings to secure the repossession of the Ground Floor Plaza of HSBC Main Building. The action, granted by the authority of the court, will appoint a bailiff who will work on behalf of the court to repossess the plaza and remove the materials which comprise the 'occupation'."
"The bank took this action to clear the plaza which was dedicated a public passageway in 1983. The Plaza area has frequently been used as a venue for community events. We are planning a number of events starting later in the year, details of which will be available in due course. Representatives of the bank met with the occupiers last month asking them to voluntarily vacate the plaza. No formal response has been received by the bank regarding this enquiry, hence the decision to go to the law courts to achieve repossession of the plaza," the spokesman added.
HSBC said that it originally asked the protesters to vacate the
premises so
that it can host community events. The site is the bank’s
property and
is designated as a pedestrian area, according to the court
documents
filed by the lender.
The eight-month protest in Hong Kong is part of the global Occupy Movement, which started in New York last year, as Occupy Wall Street. Police in London removed campaigners in London on 14 June this year. In the US, New York and Oakland, California, demonstrations ended after a confrontation with police in November.
