St. Paul's Cathedral to reopen
St. Paul's Cathedral, London, to reopen despite protest:
UK's St Paul's to reopen despite "Wall St" protest
From Reuters
London's St Paul's Cathedral is expected to reopen to the public on Friday, a week after church leaders closed its doors for the first time since World War Two, blaming safety risks posed by anti-capitalism protesters camped outside.The cathedral attracts around 820,000 visitors each year and closure meant losing a significant chunk of revenue. Last year, it earned about 22,000 pounds ($35,000) a day from entrance ticket sales, events and its shop, according to its website.
The Dean of St Paul's, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, said he hoped the church would reopen with a service on Friday, subject to a final decision on Thursday.
However, he said he still wanted the protesters to pack up their campsite and that court action was still being considered.
"We reiterate our basic belief in the right to protest as well as requesting that those people living in the tents now leave the site peacefully," he said in a statement.
