About a dozen environmentalist protestors from the group Plane Stupid, a group that opposes adding a third runway to Heathrow, London's largest airport, cut a hole in a fence and chained themselves together to effectively block the airport's northern runway early this morning. This protest delayed or canceled dozens many flights as the runway was closed for a three-hour period.
From the BBC:
In the footage, an officer told them: "As a consequence of you being here, you are causing severe disruption and it will be in the millions of pounds because it will take us a while to remove you.
"The cost will be in the couple of millions. The airport will attempt to make a civil recovery."
The Met Police said the protesters had chained themselves together using a tripod which they had assembled themselves.
Ella Gilbert, one of the activists on the runway, 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."
At least seven British Airways flights from Terminal 5 were cancelled, a spokesman from the airline said: "We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption to our flights."
First of all, it's absolutely bonkers that the gate of a runway at a major European airport was so poorly guarded that people could literally break in during the night and chain themselves together in protest. Secondly, of all causes to die for...against the proliferation of air travel? Really?
Heathrow had better amp up its security--fast.
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