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Campaigners removed from City Hall after protests over regeneration fears

Four protesters were forcibly removed from City Hall today as Sadiq Khan spoke on the right for residents to vote for regeneration projects in London.

Residents of Waltham Forest aged between 22 and 70 raised signs saying ‘70% unaffordable’ and called out that ‘Walthamstow wants a vote’.

The group represented the Save Our Square campaign who oppose plans to build blocks of flats on existing social housing which will lose a third of the square in Walthamstow.

Linda Taaffe, Save Our Square activist and Socialist Party member, said: “We call on all the London campaigns fighting regeneration, destruction of council homes, land grabs by private developers, and gentrification, to unite and march on City Hall together.

“The housing crisis is crushing us, especially the young people, and we need to unite and fight for rent control, council homes, social rents and the right to a say over our city.”

On Tuesday Sadiq Khan sanctioned the Walthamstow town square scheme, of which opposition has mounted.

Thousands have signed petitions against the plans, 500 people attended a planning committee in December and an indicative vote was virtually unanimous in opposition to supposedly right-wing Labour planning.

Around 600 people marched around Walthamstow Square on February 24 to protest the decision.

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