Mayor of London Boris Johnson said the removal of Occupy London protesters from their long-running St Paul's encampment meant "the law had finally taken its course".
The Occupy camp outside St Paul's Cathedral took place in a few hours early on Tuesday morning.
He told PA: "The Occupy movement clearly have a point to make and in a free society it's very important their rights are upheld.
"They have been painstakingly upheld before the courts and by the police for a very long time now.
However Johnson said that the removal of the remaining tents, which resulted in 20 arrests, was the right thing for London.
He said: "My interest is in the economic interest of the city and I want to make sure the businesses in that area can flourish.
"I'm glad that finally the law has taken its course."
Johnson added that he had some sympathy for elements of the Occupy message - but said they had lost support by failing to come up with an alternative.
He said: "Everyone hears the objection to the problems of capitalism, what they want to hear is what the solution might be."