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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/06/black-lives-matter-protesters-occupy-london-city-airport-runway
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| Black Lives Matter protesters occupy runway at London City airport | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Flights have been cancelled at London’s City airport after nine protesters from Black Lives Matter UK got on to the runway and chained themselves together. | |
| The airport said all flights were disrupted and that police were at the scene. | |
| We're currently experiencing disruption to all flights due to protestors at the airport. Police are currently on the scene. | We're currently experiencing disruption to all flights due to protestors at the airport. Police are currently on the scene. |
| The Metropolitan police said nine protesters had erected a tripod on the runway and locked themselves together. | The Metropolitan police said nine protesters had erected a tripod on the runway and locked themselves together. |
| Officers were negotiating with them while they waited for “specialist resources” to arrive and unlock the group. No arrests have been made. | Officers were negotiating with them while they waited for “specialist resources” to arrive and unlock the group. No arrests have been made. |
| @LBC @NickFerrariLBC just drove past city airport and saw police on the runway. See photo. #cityairport pic.twitter.com/8A3hTw1UhW | @LBC @NickFerrariLBC just drove past city airport and saw police on the runway. See photo. #cityairport pic.twitter.com/8A3hTw1UhW |
| The campaign said it carried out the protest to highlight the environmental impact of air travel on the lives of black people locally and globally. | The campaign said it carried out the protest to highlight the environmental impact of air travel on the lives of black people locally and globally. |
| It posted images of protesters lying on the runway after unfurling banners. | It posted images of protesters lying on the runway after unfurling banners. |
| The UK is the biggest per-capita contributor to temperature change & among the least vulnerable to its affects. pic.twitter.com/Bb5SmKWyt6 | The UK is the biggest per-capita contributor to temperature change & among the least vulnerable to its affects. pic.twitter.com/Bb5SmKWyt6 |
| Activists in support of BLMUK #Shutdown London City Airport to protest the UK's environmental impact on black people pic.twitter.com/7LvFnB9Pv3 | Activists in support of BLMUK #Shutdown London City Airport to protest the UK's environmental impact on black people pic.twitter.com/7LvFnB9Pv3 |
| Protesters reportedly swam across a dock to reach the runway. A spokeswoman for BLMUK said she could not confirm or deny this. However, she did confirm that all the protesters who had chained themselves together on the runway were white. | |
| It issued a video setting out the reasons for the protest that claimed the climate crisis was a “racist crisis”. | |
| Climate crisis is a racist crisis. Cut emissions. Open borders. #Shutdown. pic.twitter.com/IUOaeaTrmw | |
| In a statement, BLMUK said the protest was aimed at highlighting the economic disparity between the users of the airport and the people who lived in east London where it is based. | In a statement, BLMUK said the protest was aimed at highlighting the economic disparity between the users of the airport and the people who lived in east London where it is based. |
| “The average salary of a London City airport user is €136,000 ... It is an airport designed for the wealthy. At the same time, 40% of Newham’s population struggle to survive on £20,000 or less.” | “The average salary of a London City airport user is €136,000 ... It is an airport designed for the wealthy. At the same time, 40% of Newham’s population struggle to survive on £20,000 or less.” |
| It added: “By 2020 there will be 200 million climate refugees globally. 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, fleeing conditions that they did not create because cheaper, easier and most importantly, safer avenues have been blocked by the UK and other European countries. Black people are the first to die, not the first to fly, in this racist climate crisis.” | It added: “By 2020 there will be 200 million climate refugees globally. 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, fleeing conditions that they did not create because cheaper, easier and most importantly, safer avenues have been blocked by the UK and other European countries. Black people are the first to die, not the first to fly, in this racist climate crisis.” |
| The group called for further protests on Tuesday over a deportation flight to Jamaica later this month. | |
| Its statement said: “We note that the UK is willing to charter special flights to remove black people from the country based on their immigration status. We call on our supporters to join the demonstration against this, today at the Jamaica high commission at 5.30pm.” |