Climate Protest Disrupts London’s Heathrow Airport
The activist group Plane Stupid said 13 demonstrators cut through a fence early Monday and chained themselves together while lying on the north runway. The three-hour protest led to their arrests, and to the cancellation of 13 flights and the delay of others.
Ella Gilbert, a protester, said, “It’s those who fly frequently and unnecessarily who are driving the need for expansion, and we cannot keep ignoring the terrifying consequences of flying like there’s no tomorrow.”
While the incident caused little disruption to airport activities, it prompted questions of security. The demonstrators were detected by infrared systems, installed on the runways to detect anything which may have fallen off an aircraft, the British Broadcasting Corp. noted.
