Police hold 5 over threat of drone protest at Heathrow
CLIMATE change activists threatening to use toy drones to shut down Heathrow were arrested yesterday before the protest has even begun.
Heathrow Pause, a splinter group of the Extinction Rebellion movement, had been due to start flying drones illegally near Britain’s busiest airport from 3am this morning.
But yesterday afternoon Scotland Yard confirmed it had pre-emptively arrested three men and two women aged between their 20s and 50s, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance.
Among those held were ringleader Roger Hallam – one of the founders of Extinction Rebellion who helped organise the huge protests in April which brought parts of London to a standstill.
A video was shared on social media of the 53-year-old and fellow activist Mike Lynch-White being arrested by four officers in Bethnal Green, east London, yesterday.
The two men were handcuffed and driven away in separate unmarked cars. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: ‘We have carried out these arrests today in response to proposed plans for illegal drone use near Heathrow Airport which protest group Heathrow Pause have said will take place [on Friday] morning.
‘Our policing plan is aimed at preventing criminal activity which poses a significant safety and security risk to the airport, and the thousands of passengers that will be using it.’ He added: ‘We remain fully prepared for the planned protest, and will work quickly to identify criminal activity and arrest anyone committing offences.’
Earlier this week the senior officer advised Heathrow passengers to travel as normal, warning activists they face arrest if they fly the machines nearby.
Heathrow has also said it is not expecting disruption to flights.
Heathrow Pause has recruited activists to fly toy drones at head height within the 3.1mile (5km) exclusion zone surrounding the airport and insisted they will be nowhere near the path of planes.
The protest is set to continue indefinitely until it fizzles out or all those taking part are arrested.
The activists face a maximum jail sentence of five years, or life if they are found to be endangering the lives of passengers. Protesters have
‘Not expecting disruption’
insisted they are prepared to go to jail to stop Heathrow from building a third runway, which they say will generate an additional 7.3million tons a year of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
An organic farmer turned environmental activist, Mr Hallam has previously claimed ‘ Extinction Rebellion is humbly following in the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King’.