Heathrow Airport attempts to block peaceful protesters
In its attempts to quash a peaceful protest against the expansion of Heathrow airport from 14-21 August 2007, Heathrow Airport Ltd is going to court next week. They are aiming to ban environmental campaigners from the airport, parts of the rail network and sections of the M25 and M4 motorways.
This injunction has been applied under the Protection from Harassment Act and seeks to ban members and supporters of AirportWatch from entering certain specified locations in and around London, if they are planning on participating in the protest.
AirportWatch is a coalition of organisations including: Friends of the Earth, the National Trust, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Woodland Trust. This umbrella group aims to oppose expansion of aviation and airports likely to harm the human or natural environment, and to promote an aviation policy which falls in line with principles of sustainable development.
There will be a hearing on 1st August 2007. This case is of note because of the potential repercussions it could have for legitimate protesting in regards to aviation and climate change. As Friends of the Earth’s Director Tony Juniper said, it is a rather heavy handed approach and I feel this mode of action demonstrates Heathrow Airport’s unwillingness to address areas of environmental concern. It also seems to be an infringement of the personal liberties of the potential peaceful protesters. Shame on you Heathrow Airport Ltd.
Have you seen BAA's response to the reports? You can judge whether it's convincing here: http://newscounter.com/fullStory.jsp?id=709585
Posted by: Newscounter | July 27, 2007 7:27 PM