Dozens of flights were cancelled or rescheduled at the airport in Newham, east London, on Tuesday as police dealt with a demonstration.
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They are understood to have broken into the airport shortly after 5 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) and immediately locked themselves to a wooden tripod structure they erected on the runway.
Whilst at London City Airport a small elite is able to fly, in 2016 alone 3,176 migrants are known to have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean.
“When black people in Britain are 28 percent more likely to be exposed to air pollution than their white counterparts, we know that environmental inequality is a racist crisis”, the group said, adding that City Airport was designed for the wealthy while those who lived near the site struggled on low salaries. At Phoenix airport in the US, Karen Reyburn tweeted: “After six hours, I am actually sitting on a plane!” As the largest per capita contributor to global temperature change, and yet among the least vulnerable to its deadly effects, the United Kingdom leads in ensuring that our climate crisis is a racist crisis.
Flights due to land at the airport were diverted to Southend and Gatwick airports near London.
An employee at the airport who wished to remain anonymous told IBTimes UK that the protest had caused chaos, with travellers pissed off as a result of the delays and cancellations and staff going nuts.
The company, which is part of the International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, says it would “encourage customers to check in online before they reach the airport”. Im not sure if they are chained together but they are huddled together.
Seven have been arrested, but only two removed from the runway so far.
Passengers at London City Airport were unceremoniously delayed on Tuesday after the United Kingdom branch of Black Lives Matter staged a protest in one of the airport’s runways. Protests were also held in Nottingham and Birmingham.
Travelers took to social media to complain of long lines and the airline said “a number” of airports were affected. A London City Airport spokesperson added: The runway is now closed due to protesters on site.
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While the protesters might be under the impression that the protest caused but a small inconvenience for passengers in the airport, many commuters felt otherwise.
