Occupy Wellington

Dave Burgess at Stuff reports:

Police may have to forcibly evict Occupy Wellington protesters, who have vowed to defy a council deadline to vacate their Civic Square campsite.

Occupy Wellington protest “facilitator” Benjamin Easton said if the police arrived after the January 4 deadline they would have to physically remove protesters.

“I am not going to make it easy for them to remove me. I am going to make it as difficult as possible.

Now that names ring a bell. Inventory at Keeping Stock reminds us:

An unemployed Wellington man who boasted he was living on the dole to run court crusades on social issues has been told to report for an immediate work test.

Benjamin Easton, who has lodged an Environment Court appeal to stop Manners Mall being turned into a buses-only road, told The Dominion Post on Tuesday he was “deliberately and directly” on the dole so he could bring “the people’s challenge to the courts”.

“It is a sacrifice, really. I am perfectly capable of earning.”

Mr Easton said after the meeting that he had no intention of looking for paid work and had not applied for any jobs since going on the dole in 2007. “I am not going to stop doing what I’m doing.”

I wonder if Mr Easton is currently receiving welfare and if so, how is he making himself available for work and seeking work if he is camped out in civic square?