Occupy protesters evicted from empty London office block Members of Occupy London take to the roof of the disused office block next to the Lloyds building before they were evicted by police. Police have moved to evict activists who occupied a disused office block in the City of London as part of plans to establish another offshoot of the original Occupy London camp at St Paul's Cathedral. The vacant property adjacent to the Lloyd's building in the heart of the financial district was home to the UK arm of Iraq's Rafidain Bank, which went into liquidation in 2008. A City of London police spokesperson said three people had been arrested at the property in Leadenhall Street: "We served notice on protesters earlier this evening that the building is diplomatic premises and that they were committing a criminal offence by trespassing in it." Occupy London, which accused police of acting aggressively at what it described as a lawful squat, said a total of 15 people had been inside. Activists from the movement, which is protesting against the perceived excesses of the global finance system, moved into the building after leaving a disused office block they had used as an educational base for the past 10 weeks. The Bank of Ideas had been based in a large building in Sun Street, Hackney, in a block owned by the banking giant UBS that has not been used for several years. Occupy activists squatted in the building and established rooms for lectures, delivered by academics and others, and an IT hub for the campaign. UBS won a legal case against the group, which could have been removed forcibly at any time from this weekend. Naomi Colvin, from Occupy, said that rather than tie up scarce legal resources with an appeal, the bulk of activists had moved out of Sun Street earlier this week, leaving a small group to clean the building. "We're hoping that the police will recognise our legal rights and leave us in place," Colvin said. If that happens, the hope is to reopen the Bank of Ideas at Leadenhall Street. On Wednesday, Occupy briefly took over another nearby building, a former Midland Bank at St Alphage Highwalk, but protesters were removed by police almost immediately. Under the 1977 Criminal Law Act, squatters have protected rights to occupy a building if no damage has been caused during entry. Police told activists on Wednesday they were investigating the theft of a padlock, which Occupy disputes. As well as the St Paul's camp, which has been in place for just over 100 days, Occupy has an outdoor encampment at Finsbury Square, on the edge of the City, which it plans to turn into a model eco-community. It is also based at the former Old Street magistrates court, slightly further north - a grade II-listed Edwardian courts and police complex that has been empty for many years. After losing a high court battle against the Corporation of London last week, the St Paul's camp faces imminent eviction, which could begin early next week.