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Heathrow court bid to arrest eco-protesters
By Anna Davis, Evening Standard Last updated at 09:52am on 30.07.07
Heatrow operator BAA will go to the High Court next week
Heathrow airport's owner has launched an extraordinary bid to ban environmental groups including the National Trust and the RSPB from protesting against airport expansion.
The British Airports Authority has begun moves that would allow police to arrest members of named groups to prevent them taking part in demonstrations.
BAA will go to the High Court next week to seek judicial approval for an anti-environmentalist injunction. The terms of the injunction are so wide that they would leave millions of members of environmental groups open to arrest for crimes such as travelling on the London Underground or possessing a kite.
Anyone failing to give 24 hours' notice of a protest could be arrested for travelling on sections of the motorway or from standing on platforms 6 and 7 at Paddington station to catch the Heathrow Express.
It was reported that the terms of the injunction would cover: "All railway trains and carriages operating upon the Piccadilly line of the London Underground System; the M4 and all service stations between and including junctions 3 and 6; and the M25 and all service stations between and including junctions 13 and 15."
BAA said it had a duty to protect the public from disruption during the holiday season and added that it was not seeking to prevent legal protest.
The injunction is in response to a planned demonstration outside Heathrow. As revealed by the Evening Standard in May, up to 5,000 protesters were planning to pitch tents for a week near the airport from 14 August in protest at plans for a third runway.
Eco-warriors say they will set up a Greenham Common-style protest camp near the perimeter fence, which they intend to use as a base to disrupt flights at the peak of the tourist season to focus attention on climate change.
On Monday BAA served an injunction on four protest leaders who run environmental groups with more than five million members. It means members of groups including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, the National Trust and RSPB would be banned from setting up a camp near Heathrow.
They would also be banned from carrying spades and loudhailers.
An as yet unspecified number would be allowed to meet on the outskirts of the airport providing they gave their names, car registration plates and advance notice.
Joss Garman, from Camp for Climate Action and Plane Stupid, was one of the protest leaders served with an injunction. He said: "It seems that having totally lost the arguments on climate change they are resorting to bullying tactics."
Reader views (7)
Shame the protesters can't see the bigger picture. No planes/barges =no imports =no food into our country, and I don't think there's space to grow eco-friendly food for everyone in England. That coupled with the fact that there is no evidence for climate change makes this whole thing seem a little useless. How can we assume that our calender is always right (when it's a human invention anyway) and that it will always be rainy or sunny a certain amount every year? Maybe the world goes through cycles of warmth and cold every 600 years.
- Laurence, Nottingham
The injuction application is just ridiculous. Are the security staff at Heathrow going to be asking us 'Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the National Trust?'.
Thank you BAA for doing you bit to get all the members of the National Trust, RSPB and other 'dangerous' organistions radicalised. I hope to see flocks of bird watchers and coach loads of heritage lovers descend on Heathrow for the protest camp!
- Toronto24, Brighton
So, BAA has a duty to protect travellers from delay - well, why don't they start by employing more security staff and training them. Let's not pretend that this is anything other than a heavy-handed attempt to prevent BAA being embarrassed.
This is what this country is coming to people, get used to it. Government and big corporates will decide what we can and can't do - and it will all be in the name of "security".
- David, London, United Kingdom
I was under the impression that freedom of speech was a right in this country but then with the current government I guess anything goes, including the erosion of civil liberties.
- Trevor Roll, London
Your story compounds the belief many are feeling with regards to the idea we are living in a 'Police' state.
The right to protest 'peacefully' is enshrined globally in the many forgotten battlefields, filled with British soldiers fighting for 'democracy', yet in the 21st century we find we have leapt back two centuries!
One must ask, what did they bother at all for?
- Cliffsull, Middlesex
Good for BAA, it's time these manic single-issue groups are forced to abide by the law.
- Dave, Cornwall
BAA disgust me. This is corporate bullying and fascist management on a grand scale.
They obviously realise they can't win this argument on facts, so they want to make sure their opponents don't get a chance to put forward their case.
BAA's claim that they just want to make sure the travelling public aren't disrupted is farcical, given the chaos that greets Heathrow visitors every day.
I hope the High Court throw their application out.
While we are all being urged to cut our personal carbon footprint, BAA want to increase theirs. It would therefore be great if someone would sue BAA for their contribution to the changing climate that has led to Britain being flooded; aviation is the fastest growing contributor to carbon-dioxide emissions.
- Austen, London
