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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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.
Passengers look at departure screens at London City Airport in London after protesters blocked the runway and caused all the flights from the airport to be cancelled on Tuesday.
“Today’s BLM protest at London City airport makes flawless sense: whether it’s via air pollution or police detention, race inequality is alive and kicking in Britain”, said Alexandra Wanjiku Kelbert, a BLM member writing for The Guardian.
“This action was taken in order to highlight the UK’s environmental impact on the lives of black people locally and globally”, Black Lives Matter UK said in a statement to the press.
Its sole runway is surrounded by water, but it was reported that the protesters were able to swim from land surrounding the airport, raising questions about security.
‘In Britain, 28% of black people are more likely to be exposed to air pollution… being in closest proximity to the industries causing climate change’.
The Black Lives Matter UK movement made a decision to protest the airport because of its plans to expand, a move that would reportedly negatively affect one of London’s most poverty-stricken areas.
“It is an airport designed for the wealthy”, read a statement released by the group.
Scotland Yard was negotiating with the protestors.
The protestors began their demonstration around dawn and refused to be moved until the early afternoon, resulting in the cancelation of 16 flights and delaying a further 12.
‘Black people are the first to die, not the first to fly, in this racist climate crisis.
Activists also chained themselves together to block the route to Birmingham airports, while in the centre of Nottingham, four protesters lay across tram tracks.
Last month, Black Lives Matter UK protesters blocked a main road leading to Britain’s largest airport, Heathrow, bringing traffic to a standstill.
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The airport said all flights in and out of the airport had been disrupted. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience to their journey.
