The incident occurred near University College London Hospital. A hospital spokesman said the measures were taken due to “public health concerns.”
“One of the tents was empty because the guy was washing his hands in the bathroom and they damaged the tent while moving,” the Streets Kitchen member said.
X users were shocked to see that the tents appeared to be filled with belongings. Image: Streets Kitchen
“They handcuffed one of the men who wouldn’t give up his information. Some of the boys have already left so they had to leave their tents and don’t know where they are going. They just had to choose to leave because they can’t take the risk.
“Others want to stay and challenge it.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “Met officers worked with University College London Hospital and other partners to respond to concerns about approximately ten tents near the hospital entrance on Huntley Street, NW1.
“One person was arrested for breaching a S35 eviction order by refusing to comply with police instructions to relocate from the area. He was taken into police custody.
“Partner organizations offer those affected appropriate support.”
A spokesman for University College London Hospital said: “Due to public health concerns, police have helped to relocate some people sleeping outside the Grafton Way Building, a hospital where immunocompromised patients are treated.
“UCLH is deeply committed to improving the health and wellbeing of homeless people and offers a range of services to this vulnerable group. This includes our Homeless Health Team and our mobile Find and Treat Clinic, which screens and treats thousands of homeless patients each year for serious illnesses to prevent further infections, improve public health and provide pathways to referral to housing. “
Camden Council has been contacted for comment.
Reacting to the video, one X user said: “This is a disgrace and will never be forgotten. Throw Braverman out.”
Another added: “You can see the tent is full of belongings too. This is heartbreaking.”
“It takes a certain amount of cruelty to do something like this to someone who has next to nothing,” another user commented.
The incident came just days after Braverman sparked controversy over proposed plans to criminalize the use of tents to aid sleep disorders.
The proposal – which did not appear in the King’s speech – could have resulted in charities being fined for distributing tents to people sheltering on the streets.
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“We cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of whom are from abroad, who live on the streets because of their lifestyle choices,” Braverman said in a thread on X
She added: “What I want to stop, and what the law-abiding majority of us want to stop, are those who cause trouble and suffering to other people by pitching tents in public spaces, begging aggressively, stealing, taking drugs, littering, etc.” are corrupting our communities.”
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Braverman’s claim that living on the streets or in tents is a “lifestyle choice” has been widely criticized, including by The Big Issue.
Big Issue founder Lord John Bird said: “Street homelessness is rarely a lifestyle choice, it is a sign of a lack of government policy that seeks to address the fundamental failings in our system and results in People inevitably get into a jam and are unable to find their way out.”
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Source : www.bigissue.com