British supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement stormed the runway of London City Airport Tuesday, forcing a halt to flights in one of the boldest acts of protest by the group as it spreads beyond US borders.
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Nine people have been charged following a Black Lives Matter protest at London City Airport.
All nine people have been released on bail to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday next week.
The remaining three people facing prosecution over the stunt are Deborah Francis-Grayson, 31, from Slough, Richard Collet-White, 23, from Kempston and Ben Tippet, 24, from Wandsworth. Police officers were rushed to the airport early today in order to remove the 9 protesters who chained themselves together and refused to leave the runway.
The final two activists were arrested at around 11.25am, Scotland Yard said, almost six hours after the nine-strong group occupied the single runway.
The protest, which began at 5:40 a.m. G.M.T., caused the cancelation of dozens of flights, according to the Guardian City airport, which serves around four million passengers each year, is a hub for business travelers.The activists said they’re also protesting the airport’s expansion because they see it as a service for the wealthy in a neighborhood with a significant low-income population. Protesters reportedly swam the River Thames to reach the runway, which is surrounded by water.
Black Lives Matter activists in the United Kingdom took responsibility for the protest aimed at bringing attention to Britain’s “environmental impact on the lives of black people locally and globally”, the social justice movement said.
Group member Joshua Virasami told the Guardian the disruption to flights was “a very small inconvenience when you think about the consequences for black communities daily”.
Flights to Zurich, Geneva, Guernsey and Zurich were cancelled, while flights which were due to arrive at the airport from Rotterdam, Luxembourg, New York and Frankfurt were diverted, according to the airports website.
“People need to understand that the effects of climate change are most felt by the people least responsible for them”.
The movement originated in the United States to protest against the killing of black people by police officers.
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Black Lives Matter, whose global movement was set up following the murder of black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida four years ago, has carried out several demonstrations over the past few months. Similar actions were carried out in Birmingham and Nottingham in a coordinated day of action.
