Heathrow Protest Spreads to Biggin Hill, Farnborough Airports
In a strand of the larger-scale airport expansion protest currently taking place at Heathrow Airport, 11 people today campaigned outside the main entrance to London’s Biggin Hill Airport, in Bromley, Kent. All were subsequently arrested by local police, while a linked protest was also held outside Hampshire’s Farnborough Airport.
At Biggin Hill, several of the campaigners had linked themselves to the airport’s boundary fence. Earlier on today, the group declared its intention to severely disrupt operations at the world-famous ex-RAF fighter base – now a major commercial hub, with several flying schools in residence. The group’s spokesman, Richard George, spoke to the media, and said that the operation at Biggin Hill today was not comparable to the events planned for Heathrow Airport this coming Sunday (described elsewhere as a day of “mass direct action”).
He continued: "This is a protest against the super-rich with their own planes who are putting two fingers up to attempts by the rest of us who try to cut our carbon emissions by saying they will not only continue to fly, but they will fly in the most carbon inefficient way possible."
Ultimately, he concluded: “The growth in private aviation scandalously mocks the efforts of people who try to reduce their carbon footprint”.
According to scientists, air transport is a major contributory factor to issues of global warming. In particular, they say, the effects of water vapour/carbon dioxide are four times more potent in the air than at sea. The UK government has pledged to cut these C02 emissions, however also advocates accelerated growth within the air travel industry.
Today’s Biggin Hill arrests make a total of 16, in connection with the Heathrow-based Camp for Climate Action protest.
As many as 1,500 people are expected to participate in the Heathrow camp, even with current predictions of miserable weather by the weekend. As ever, Airport International will provide the most up to date coverage of events as they happen.
Source – Airport International’s London Reporter
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