Green Party standing shoulder to shoulder with Plane Stupid activists on trial for Heathrow occupation

Sat, 07 Nov 2015 09:07:29 +0000

Plane Stupid welcomes the solidarity of the Green Party, who at their party conference in September 2015 passed a motion to support the Plane Stupid activists who occupied the northern runway at Heathrow Airport in July 2015. Their statement is reproduced below:

Green Party to stand shoulder to shoulder with Plane Stupid accused

19 October 2015

The 13 members of activist group Plane Stupid accused of “aggregated trespass” during a protest at Heathrow airport in July will have the full support of the Green Party when they face trial next year.

The party’s autumn conference in Bournemouth passed a motion in support of the activists and deputy leader, Amelia Womack has outlined why the Party believes the protest to be just, stating that Heathrow Airport is a “major cause of illegal and deadly levels of air pollution” in the capital.

Womack said:

“The stunt took place weeks after the Airports Commission recommended a new runway at Heathrow. The fact is Heathrow Airport is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and the science confirms that greenhouse gases must be dramatically reduced from present levels to tackle climate change.

“Moreover, Heathrow Airport is a major cause of illegal and deadly levels of air pollution in London. Local residents also suffer serious health impacts as a result of noise pollution and sleep disturbance.

“Our party applauds the determination of the 13 activists and we’ll be offering our full support when they stand trial in January next year.”

The action at Heathrow Airport prevented some planes from taking off and landing and took place at a critical moment, just after the Airports Commission reported. The Airports Commission failed to address climate change adequately in its report. Use of fossil fuels is destablising the climate and the life support systems upon which life depends, so we need to rapidly transition to a fossil free future. This means that we cannot have more carbon-intense mega-infrastructure projects like a new runway, in fact we need to reduce fossil fuel use dramatically from where we are now. It's up to people acting collectively to bring about a sustainable, just and fossil free world, since the government is taking us in the opposite direction.

The 'Heathrow 13' activists also have strong support amongst the long suffering community around Heathrow. The trial takes place at Willesden Magistrates' Court starting on Monday 18 January 2016.