Extinction Rebellion Protesters Discuss Shutting Down Heathrow Airport
18 April 2019, 13:13 | Updated: 30 April 2019, 11:52
Extinction Rebellion protests are threatening Easter Holiday misery as they have discussed shutting down Heathrow Airport on Good Friday.
In a secret Whatsapp group environmental campaigners have discussed abandoning road blocking actions in Central London and targeting London's Heathrow Airport.
Messages said that campaigners were going to "raise the bar. We are going to shut down Heathrow."
Campaigners feared they were going to face pushback over the action to shut down the UK's busiest airport during a Bank Holiday Weekend.
The group said they had listened to the concerns of the movement so that they could change their plans. The group have been blocking off key locations in London causing transportation in certain parts of the capital to grind to a halt.
Around 1,300 flights a day use London's Heathrow Airport, making it the UK's busiest airport.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We are working with the authorities to address any threat of protests which could disrupt the airport.
"While we respect the right to peaceful protest and agree with the need to act on climate change, we don’t agree that passengers should have their well-earned Easter Break holiday plans with family and friends disrupted. "
The airport is advising passengers to check with their airlines before they travel.
The message even instructs activists how to get to the airport from their current campaign sites in Central London.
There is a deep remorse for those whose holiday and family plans will be disrupted tomorrow. It is not our intention to cause further separation. However, the aviation industry needs to be targeted and we are all aware of the deep, structural change that needs to come.
The message from group organisers said: "We hope, together, we can recognise the necessity of this action and communicate that necessity to our friends, our loved ones, and the general public. "
The message ends with the group's slogan: "Keep on going everybody. Keep rebelling."
