Britain finally became firmly involved in the fight for Libyan freedom last night, but it was not by enforcing a no-fly zone or providing military aid.
Instead, a group of squatters, which calls itself “Topple the Tyrant”, took over the North London home, thought to belong to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.
The mostly British group were attracting expatriate Libyans to their cause last night after occupying the £10 million house in Hampstead Garden Suburb.
They said they would not leave until Libya was free and the house, which is registered to a holding company in the British Virgin Islands, was returned to the Libyan people.
Last night Azeldin El-sharif, founder of the British Libyan Solidarity Campaign, joined the protest.
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He said: “It’s the Libyan people’s money that has bought the property and so it belongs to the Libyan people.”
The protesters refused to say how they entered the property, which has a swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and suede-lined cinema room. The squatters unfurled a banner with a picture of Colonel Gaddafi and the words “Out of Libya, Out of London”.
One squatter, who gave his name as Belkasam, saying he was a Libyan expatriate who lived in Manchester, refused to say how many people were inside and how many were Libyan. “We’ve taken over to make sure it goes back to the Libyan people,” he said.
“We are not going to leave until we have 100 per cent guarantee that the house goes back to the Libyan people.”
The Metropolitan Police said the incident was a civil matter.