ECO PLOT TO RUIN EASTER
Protesters vow to shut Heathrow as hundreds more march on capital (while police join dancing in streets)
ECO-WARRIORS are plotting to bring misery to Easter holidaymakers today.
They plan to ‘shut down’ Heathrow and disrupt traffic for families planning a bank holiday getaway.
The mainly middle-class protesters have already caused chaos by blocking four major routes through London for four days.
Now they have vowed to ‘raise the bar’ by targeting hundreds of thousands of tourists jetting off for the weekend.
More than 1,000 police are being deployed each day but have failed to restore order – leading to claims they are surrendering the streets. The climate change activists, from Left-wing group Extinction Rebellion, expect to be joined by hundreds more supporters off work for Easter. As pressure grew on the authorities to act yesterday:
Home Secretary Sajid Javid urged police to use the ‘full force of the law’;
London Mayor Sadiq Khan blamed Government cuts and asked for more cash;
Officers caught dancing and skateboarding with activists received a dressing down;
Only eight protesters have been charged, with hundreds of others released because resources are so squeezed;
Company bosses complained the chaos had forced them to lay off staff.
Leaked messages, apparently sent by privatelyeducated ringleader Robin Boardman-Pattison, 21, laid out the plot to cause travel chaos. They said: ‘Tomorrow we
will raise the bar. We are going to shut down Heathrow. For the bank holiday, we are turning our focus on to the aviation industry. There is a deep remorse for those whose holiday and family plans will be disrupted.
‘However, the aviation industry needs to be targeted and we are all aware of the deep, structural change that needs to come. We are all going to face pushback on this. Keep on going everybody. Keep rebelling.’
Protesters were told to get a specific train out of London and congregate on a petrol station forecourt near the airport.
The good weather – with sunshine and highs of 25C – is expected to draw yet more crowds to the streets. Yesterday, ‘swarming’ protests took place at Vauxhall Bridge when protesters stopped traffic intermittently for up to ten minutes. This can be more disruptive to traffic than permanent diversion.
Mr Boardman-Pattison flounced out of a Sky News interview on Wednesday after it was suggested he and his fellow demonstrators were patronising and self-indulgent.
He has previously said his group would like to see planes ‘only used in emergencies’. His social media pages feature a series of photos of him enjoying skiing holidays abroad and visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
Last night Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said the protests were ‘ increasing in intensity’ and warned demonstrators against targeting Heathrow. He added: ‘Protesters can expect a robust police response. We are determined to keep the airport operating.’
The Metropolitan Police added in a statement: ‘The airport is part of our national infrastructure and we will not allow the illegal activities of protesters to cause further
‘This is dangerous and illegal’
disruption and misery to thousands of travellers, many of them families, over Easter.
‘We would urge any protester planning to attend Heathrow to strongly reconsider.’
The airport urged passengers to check with airlines for potential delays and said it was ‘working with the authorities’ to address the threat of protests.
Travellers whose flights are delayed or cancelled by activists have been warned they may not receive any compensation. Coby Benson, a travel lawyer at Bott & Co, said the demos are likely to be considered ‘extraordinary circumstances’ – meaning they are not the airline’s responsibility.
Mr Khan, who has this week been accused of offering tacit support to the protesters, condemned their plans. He said: ‘I support the democratic right to peaceful protest and agree that governments need to do more to tackle climate change, but these protests are now putting Londoners’ safety at risk.
‘This is extremely dangerous, illegal and is putting an unacceptable toll on our police force.’
Extinction Rebellion has warned that its ‘non-violent’ protests will escalate if its demands are not met. It wants the Government to introduce a legally-binding policy to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025.
The activists have vowed to keep blocking key thoroughfares in London. As of last night, there had been more than 500 arrests.
Since Monday, Waterloo Bridge has been closed to traffic in both directions, with protesters planting trees, setting up vegan food stalls and erecting a skate park.
In Oxford Circus, London’s main shopping district, protesters have taken over the streets, parking a bright pink boat on the main intersection. Police believe it has been bolted to the tarmac.
Meanwhile, both Parliament Square and Marble Arch have also been completely shut down by non-stop demonstrations.
The latter has seen a yurt and compostable toilet erected on the road. Police have been drafted in from neighbouring forces to help tackle the threat and keep the airport open.
Yesterday, it emerged only eight of those arrested this week have been charged with an offence. All the others have been released under investigation because resources are so squeezed.
Three of the eco-warriors found themselves behind bars yesterday after gluing themselves to a Docklands Light Railway train at Canary Wharf station on Wednesday as part of the protests.
Cambridge- educated Cathy Eastburn, 51, Buddhist teacher Mark Ovland, 35, and Luke Watson, 29, all indicated not guilty pleas to obstructing trains or carriages but were denied bail when they appeared before Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court.
In another hearing yesterday, climate change activist Robert Pounds, 55, from Howdon, Tyne and Wear, denied obstruction charges after being arrested on London’s Waterloo Bridge.
He spent two days in custody before being brought to Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail.