Occupy DC protesters must get 24 hours notice before clearout – judge

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Occupy DC protesters must get 24 hours notice before clearout – judge

District judge James Boasberg upholds anti-camping rules – but says park police must give occupiers a full day's notice

• WATCH LIVE: OccupyMonsanto 500 ppl protesting #Monsanto's legacy of...

• Ryan Devereaux
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 31 January 2012 12.50 EST

A protester participates in Occupy DC in McPherson Square in front of the 'tent of dreams'. Photograph: Shawn Thew/EPA

A federal judge in Washington DC has ruled that the National Park Service must give Occupy protesters camped out in two of the US capital's parks 24 hours' notice before clearing out their encampments.

District judge James Boasberg upheld the anti-camping regulations at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza – but ruled that park police must give the occupiers a full day's notice before any clearout. The prior notice decision would allow demonstrators to appeal against a possible eviction in court. In the event of an emergency, however, the parks service does have the right to evacuate the spaces.

The demonstrators, meanwhile, have been holding a general assembly to decide whether they should comply with police orders and take down their "tent of dreams", a large tarp draped over McPherson Square's central statue. Park police asked the protesters to remove the tarp earlier on Tuesday and said they would return later.

National Lawyers Guild observer and attorney Ann Wilcox, who was on hand for the hearing, said there was "a big chance" the tent will have to come down, as it is attached to a national monument.

Occupy protesters are also seeking t

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