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 USA borders.
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A Met Police spokesman said: “They have erected a tripod and have locked themselves together”.
The UK arm of the group said it wanted to highlight Britain’s environmental impact on the lives of black people locally and globally. While the Black Lives Matter group was set up in the USA to protest against injustice and police brutality, the London airport protestors were white.
“Officers negotiated with the protestors and specialist officers arrived to “unlock” the protestors”, the statement said.
The group seemed to be protesting multiple issues – the impact of climate change on black people and the migrant crisis.
In August protesters blocked roads in Nottingham, Birmingham and the M4 at Heathrow, in a day of anti-racist activism.
“We are preparing the airport to resume activities as soon as possible”, said an employee of the airport.
“They are on the runway surrounded by police”.
In 2015, 4.3 million passengers used the airport. It added that it was now “negotiating” with the group and that no arrests have been made at this stage. No arrests have been made at this stage.
The Black Lives Matter movement was started in 2012 after George Zimmerman, a white man in Florida, was found not guilty of killing African American teenager Trayvon Martin. Flights resumed after six hours of delays from demonstrators blocking the runway, compounded by IT problems at British Airways in the United Kingdom and the US.
Last month’s protest marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black man shot by London police under disputed circumstances on August 4, 2011.
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A spokeswoman for British Airways said due to the protest, “all flights are suspended” and to check for their flight information before going to the airport.
