By Sabina Zawadzki
LONDON (Reuters) - London Mayor Ken Livingstone, well known for his anti-war stance on Iraq, has shown his hawkish side by banning pigeon feeding in Trafalgar Square.
Members of the Pigeon Action Group protested on Monday against a new by-law prohibiting feeding pigeons in the famous central London square -- a focal point for visitors, revellers and protesters.
Livingstone, who famously branded the birds "rats with wings", has already unleashed a hawk named Squirty to chase the pigeons away.
"It is shameful that our mayor has done away with the flock. He has starved them," Pigeon Action Group campaign leader Julia Fletcher said.
But the mayor said the square’s recent renovation, which created a pedestrian zone in front of London’s National Gallery had more than quadrupled the number of visitors, turning it into a world landmark which should be kept clean.
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"The Square has been reclaimed as a pleasant and enjoyable place for Londoners and visitors alike," Livingstone said.
The square’s remaining 200 pigeons were fed once a day, his office said. But protestors said the birds, which used to number 4,000, have been reduced to under-nourished wrecks.
"They are so weak. They sit there waiting for food that never comes," Fletcher said.
Her companions, braving the elements on a rainy Monday afternoon, held up placards with "Feed the pigeons" slogans.
Fletcher said using a hawk to chase pigeons out of the square amounted to "blood sport" as the underfed birds could not out-fly the predator.
Tourists visiting the square had a mixed reaction to the new by-law which imposes a 50-pound penalty for feeding pigeons.
Xu Zheng Xi, from Beijing, China, said: "In China, we like pigeons. They are a symbol of peace against war and they can also carry messages.
"But you have to look at social planning too and look at the buildings. You have to balance the two," he said.
The Pigeon Action Group said they had found a loophole in Livingstone’s law.
"The pedestrian precinct north of the square and the pavement south of Nelson’s column does not count as part of Trafalgar Square. So people will be perfectly within the law to feed pigeons in those areas," Fletcher said.
