Residents to link up with Earth First! activists in Tower Bridge Protest - 29th November 2005

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Residents campaigning against airport expansion will link up with radical environmental Earth First! activists in a colourful protest against an international, three-day aviation conference being held in London at the end of November. (1)

The protest will be staged on Tower Bridge on the evening of Tuesday 29th November to coincide with a gala dinner being laid on for the delegates in a function suite on the bridge. (2)

The peaceful protest will bring together local residents with environmental activists from a number of organisations. (3) It is expected to be a colourful event. It is planned to float a boat, full of people dressed as pirates, underneath the bridge, whilst others will be in fancy dress on the bridge. Some people on the bridge will be in formal evening wear having been briefed to “bring business cards and prepare to network.”

John Stewart, Chair of the Heathrow residents group HACAN ClearSkies, said, “Although this will be a fun event, it has a serious purpose. The top people from the aviation industry across the world are meeting together for three days to talk about expanding their industry without a thought being given to the consequences for the environment or people living under the flight paths. We want to send them a clear message that this is not acceptable. In fact they are being ‘plane stupid’.”

One environmental activist, Joss Garman, explained, “Aviation is the fastest growing cause of climate change, and things cannot go on as they are. Through direct action we dramatically altered the Government’s road programme in the 1990s, and we stopped the commercialisation of GM crops. We are gathering on the bridge to send a message to the airline bosses — they are our next target.”

Note for Editors

  1. The Conference, The Future of Air Transport, is being held in the Waldorf Hilton Hotel in the Aldwych on 28th, 29th and 30th November. It is being organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs and is expected to be attended by over 300 senior representatives from the aviation industry from across the world. Speakers include representatives of British Airways and BAA
  2. Protestors will gather on Tower Bridge from about 6.00pm on Tuesday 29th November. The gala dinner is being held in one of the function suites in the rooms above the bridge