PROTESTING squatters were today dramatically evicted from an unused Birmingham city centre hotel they had been occupying for three weeks.
Police and High Court bailiffs swooped on Beechwood Hotel, Bristol Road, Edgbaston, at 6.30am today to move out the protesters.
Members of the Justice Not Crisis group moved into the building earlier this month as part of a campaign to increase the amount of affordable social housing in the city.
The group had seen off an attempt to evict them earlier this week when protesters took to the roof.
Lee Moore, aged 48, one of the main organisers of the group accused police of being heavy-handed.
“My main concern is there will be 15 homeless people on the streets unless we find another squat,” he told the Birmingham Mail.
“The youngest person who could be main homeless today is a 16-year-old girl thrown out by her mum two weeks ago.”
One protester, an 18-year-old, who gave her name as Sarah, said: “When the police came in there were shouting and swearing at us so we grabbed what we could and left.
“We don’t know where we are going. It is nearly impossible to get help if you are on the streets, especially with housing.”
Sarah said she had just got a job as a shop assistant but didn’t know how she would keep it without anywhere to live.
The owner, who did not give his name, confirmed the building was a running hotel and would be re-opened after refurbishment.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said officers were present in a supporting role to deal with any potential breaches of public order and that the protesters had been evicted peacefully.
