The occupiers in front of City Hall in Fredericton have been asked to move by Nov. 25 for the city’s Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. Dana Hartt, a 32 year-old who has been with the movement since mid-October, was the only occupier on site when Fredericton mayor Brad Woodside personally delivered the letter today at noon.Hart said Woodside talked to him for a few minutes when he dropped off the letter.
“He said we have been polite, calm, tidy and that it isn’t about that. He just needs this space for his Christmas Tree and his Christmas Tree related ceremony so he’d like us to find another location,” said Hartt.
He said he’s worried about something similar happening to the situation in Halifax where the occupiers negotiated to move to a second site temporally for the Remembrance Day ceremony but were then forcibly removed from the second site on Nov. 11 and told they could not go back to the first site.
The letter, signed by Woodside, indicates previous conversations have happened about the ceremony and explains he would “appreciate you finding another location in the city between now and Friday, November 25, 2011.”
Hart said there haven’t been issues with the police, city or fire department before today.
He encouraged people to write letters to the mayor urging him to not evict them.
Hartt was reluctant to give personal opinions about the issue until after an emergency meeting is held tonight to form an action plan.
The meeting will be held at the site tonight at 7pm.
