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Black Lives Matter protests stop cars and trams across England Black Lives Matter protests stop cars and trams across England
(about 1 hour later)
Black Lives Matter protesters caused simultaneous 'gridlock' on the M4 motorway at Heathrow and in Nottingham. Black Lives Matter protesters caused simultaneous 'gridlock' on the M4 motorway at Heathrow and in Nottingham, in a day of anti-racist activism.
Campaigners lay on the tarmac on the slip road to the airport, as the group sought to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan, who was shot by police. Campaigners lay on the tarmac on the slip road to the airport in London and across tram tracks in Nottingham city centre early on Friday morning.
Protesters also blocked tram tracks in Nottingham, stopping services into the city centre. The co-ordinated act came a day after the fifth anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan, who was shot by police.
The group's national protests had resulted in a number of arrests. A number of activists across the country have been arrested.
Updates on Black Lives Matter Heathrow protest Protesters also blocked the A45 in Solihull close to Birmingham Airport.
Live: Protesters block tram lines in Nottingham Wail Qasim, who helped organise the Heathrow protest, said: "There's a constant disruption of black people's lives in the everyday.
All four protesters who were lying on the tram track in Nottingham have been arrested and traffic and trams are now running as normal. "There are everyday forms of racism you face in terms of stop and search, increased levels of unemployment, over-representation within mental health custody, the prison system - this is an ongoing disruption to black people's lives which they constantly face".
Specialist cutting equipment was used to free the activists who were then detained. Cara Thompson, part of the Nottingham movement, said: "We need people to listen, to really stop and listen to what is happening to black people - not just in the USA.
Officers were seen placing goggles on their faces before cutting the tubes - which appeared to have been sealed with concrete - which linked the campaigners.
Meanwhile, two lanes of the M4 slip road to Heathrow are open and traffic is flowing but police are still at the scene.
In Birmingham, four women and a man were arrested after staging a similar protest on the A45 near Solihull.
In a statement the UK Black Lives Movement said: "[We] have #Shutdown roads in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham to mourn those who have died in custody and to protest the ongoing racist violence of the police, border enforcement, structural inequalities and the everyday indignity of street racism.
"We have chosen today for our action to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Mark Duggan's death at the hands of the Metropolitan Police. We stand in solidarity with the families and friends of all who have died at the hands of the British state."
There have been no reports of disruption in Manchester, but a march is planned in the city later.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Police at Heathrow are dealing with a demo. We were called at 08:25 on the fifth to the M4 slip road at Heathrow airport.
"A number of people were reported to be blocking the road leading to the airport. Officers have attended. A number of people have been arrested. One lane has been opened but there is traffic congestion. Police continue to deal with the situation at the scene."
BBC reporter Sandish Shoker said the stunt brought the roads around Nottingham's Upper Parliament Street to a standstill.
"When I came down at about 08:30 BST it was gridlocked but about half an hour later the police had managed to divert most of the traffic," she said.
Nottingham Organiser Cara Thompson said: "We need people to listen, to really stop and listen to what is happening to black people - not just in the USA.
"The murder of our kids, our families, the fact that black people are three times less likely to be hired for a job.""The murder of our kids, our families, the fact that black people are three times less likely to be hired for a job."
In a statement, the national organisation, which describes itself as a network of anti-racists, said the UK needs a movement similar to the campaign in the US.
"[We] have #Shutdown roads in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham to mourn those who have died in custody and to protest the ongoing racist violence of the police, border enforcement, structural inequalities and the everyday indignity of street racism.
"We have chosen today for our action to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Mark Duggan's death at the hands of the Metropolitan Police. We stand in solidarity with the families and friends of all who have died at the hands of the British state."
Traffic in parts of Nottingham city centre was "gridlocked" at the height of rush hour when protesters lay across tram tracks outside the Theatre Royal.
BBC reporter Sandish Shoker said: "When I came down at about 08:30 BST it was gridlocked but about half an hour later the police had managed to divert most of the traffic," she said.
At the same time, campaigners blocked the slip road to Heathrow from the M4 motorway, causing tailbacks for holiday-makers.
Police quickly opened one lane of the junction and a spokesman for the airport said they did not think anyone missed their flight as a result of the action.
Ten people have been arrested at Heathrow and one lane remains closed as police remove the last activitists.
In both cases, barriers were put up around the protesters to shield them from the view of passing motorists.
Officers were seen putting goggles on the eyes of the activists as they used specialist cutting machinery to open casts placed over their linked arms.
The tubes over their arms appeared to have been sealed with concrete.