A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Day 3: Private Airports Blockaded

At 7am two independent groups of campaigners from the Camp for Climate Action stopped carbon-intensive private jets fom operating at two airports in the south east. Executive flights at Biggin Hill and Farnborough airports have been brought to a standstill by climate activists concerned at the huge growth in the use of private jets by business people. At Biggin Hill Airport the activists D-locked themselves to the gates of the airports. 10 people were then arrested. The blockade lasted for just under 4 hours.

24 people took part in the blockade at Farnborough Airport with 9 people locked onto lock-on devices across the access road. After an hour the aiport staff opened up an emergancy crash exit to allow the gathered business people in. Meanwhile protesters handed out leaflets to staff, passengers and locals. Jets were delayed and after 2 hours a second emergency exit was opened. By this point the police warned people they would be arrested and it was decided to return to the camp. Although no one was arrested, the police did seize lock-on devices.

Audio: Audio Interview with Biggin Hill Airport Blockader

Video: Video of blockade at Farnborough Airport

Police protecting BA

imc uk

Additions

Press Release from Climate Camp

12.08.2007 11:04

Camp for Climate Action pitches its tents on the site of the proposed third runway

12 August 2007
For immediate release

***PRESS CONFERENCE AT 1:30 PM ON SUNDAY 12th AUGUST***

The Camp for Climate Action is being set up 800 metres from BAA's head office. Last night 150 people converged on the site, which is located on the proposed path of the third runway.

Campers are now busy building a temporary ecovillage in preparation for the opening of the camp on Tuesday morning.

Up to two thousand people are expected throughout the week, who will take part in the 100 workshops on offer (1), experience sustainable living in action, and build a lasting community of resistance to airport expansion and climate change.

‘BAA haven’t scared us off - we're camping in their back yard. The camp is not covered by the injunction, and everyone is free to come along. We are calling for everyone who knows that governments and corporations will not solve the problem of climate change to come to the camp, to put a stop to the third runway when it’s clear that no one else will, and to help build just, lasting solutions to climate change,’ said Julie Anderson from the site.

From the camp there will be a day of mass direct action starting at midday on Sunday 19th August. The form this action will take will be decided by camp participants during planning meetings taking place throughout the week.

Camper Sam Thompson said: ‘Everyone’s desperate to know what will happen on the day of action. What we do know is that one of the key aims of the camp, and the day of action, is to confront the aviation industry that is driving airport expansion – which is criminal in a time of climate crisis.’

People are now advised to travel to the campsite via Hayes and Harlington railway station (2). Journalists are invited to tour the site at 11 AM daily, from Tuesday 14th – Friday 17th inclusive (3). There will be a press conference at 1:30 PM on Sunday 12th August in front of the site.

ENDS

Print and broadcast quality footage is available upon request.

Contacts
0777 286 1099 or 0785 817 7178,

press@climatecamp.org.uk
www.climatecamp.org.uk

Notes for editors

1. The full workshops programme for the Camp is available at
www.climatecamp.org.uk/wshops.pdf
2. The site is located on Sipson Lane, between the villages of Sipson and Harlington.
3. Please read important information for journalists wishing to cover the camp at www.climatecamp.org.uk/press.php

Climate Camp press folk
Homepage: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/

Fit team distracted from camp by local grannies, kids

12.08.2007 22:48

Silly, silly policeman

This is a photo of a particularly aggressive FIT team photographer (how big is your lens, baby?) taking photos of local women and children in a community art project; meanwhile the Climate Camp was being set up a mile away.

Not so fit

Comments

Hide the following 33 comments

Wow witness this!

12.08.2007 21:53

I have just returned from visiting the newly formed 2007 Heathrow Climate Camp on Imperial College sports fields near Harlington and next door to the ‘non denominational’ Sant Nirankari (“We believe in world peace and unity”) UK Mission premises - almost a stones’ throw from the M4 Heathrow spur road.
My first impression was, Wow who are these guys, look at the scale of it, scores of tents up already including many communal big ones.
Don't be put off visiting the site. For one thing there are knowledgeable and courageous legal observers watching the cops, who in any case despite reports to the contrary are quite laid back in the circs. Unsurprisingly the cops have stopped vehicles (except to the Asian Niranakari centre) but pedestrian traffic on Sipson Road is unchallenged.
The Heathrow 2007 Climate Camp is closest to Sipson, a white working class village threatened with extinction if BAA get their way. The village while being full of friendly people and ‘No 3rd Runway’ placards, does not have many if any shops!
So if you go the Climate Camp carry some goodies with you.
Note to social entrepreneurs: the Climate Camp is clearly going to be huge. Already a couple of TV news channels have people there for the duration. Undoubtedly most people who go there will want to buy a suitable refreshment as they take in the uplifting scenario of highly organised activists demonstrating to a world stage both the issues and methods which need to be considered for species survival.
Finally I am told by the beautiful Catherine & Mark from Oxford that musicians who want to play a part in this historic stand should contact

markb@gn.apc.org.

Hugh

actually, Hugh, there'll be...

13.08.2007 00:13

Take your favourite chocolate or whatever down with you, but don't worry about other munching needs - there's about a dozen kitchens, so you can either eat with people from where you live, or pick another if it's more to your taste/allergy; there'll be fruit and hot drinks a plenty, in the evenings a bar, and in the day times cakes and similar.

Note to social entrepreneurs - this is not a commercial enterprise, and you will not be welcome to make profit on site.

All the above refreshments will be near cost price, and any money raised will go to pay for all the rest of the camp infrastructure that you will be enjoying.

camper

The End of the Greenbelt

13.08.2007 13:16

I think that the Heathrow expansion is a drop in the ocean when compared with the house building programme in England today, especially the SE region. There has to be some sort of organised action against this insane lunacy. When the Romans first came to Britain there were trees from one end of the country to the other, if we do not act then there will be houses replacing these trees.

We owe it to our future generations to stop this criminal act.

Gareth

Operation Hargood

13.08.2007 13:34

“Operation Hargood?”

Oh! A one-god airport!

Oath Ordering A Poo!
Poor hair-do on gate,
Oh airport, do Genoa!

Ah, one good airport.
A Pig-ranter hoodoo
(heat good, rain poor,
other paranoid goo...)

Agenda: Riot, oh poor! (airport on Doha ego)
I adopt Gonorrhoea!
(hardon gooier atop)

Poo Had on riot-gear!
Paranoid ogre hoot, “Poo, A danger. Oh, Riot!”
A goon, he do airport.
Paranoid hero to go, “Harden a poo, Go Riot!”

A hog-poo and rioter,
goon airhead troop.
Pig-odor hoot-arena,
a poor, rationed hog.

Poo-head Riot Organ!

Oh-o, ornate pig road.
Airport ego: do Noah!
“A riot,” groaned Pooh.

Mark

Mark

Re house building - PFI - Laing's war on the poor

13.08.2007 18:39

I'm not quite undestand the song.,mark.

anyway re housebuilding comment.

- gentricidal maniacs ( from India where they are currently in the process of a £5B bid to evict the poor of Mumbai as they have done in Kings X ) and Laing O Rourke are also the bastards doing the Heathrow terminal work. And as for living on the Thames flood plain...., So there is a connection - not to mention the emissions of the global construction industry and the fake eco villages( you know- the ones with underground car parks for commuting into the city or out to the nearest Waitrose...)

BBC reports on CGFCA try to posit the 'economic benefits' --- tell that to those underwater or caught in mudslides, earthquakes etc. You know the poor of the global south who are having their resources stolen by those suits leaving on a jet plane from Heathrow to goto IMF, Anglo American, and other money printing venture meetings.

IT'S ALL CONNECTED - just join the dots and get these bastards

See ya in the smoking ruins of the sq mile - hope it's soon. have fun.

another mark

Try spreading the message to the voilently unconverted!

14.08.2007 10:10

I was reading a few news aarticles about Climate Camp and ended up on the Daily Mail website, not a pleasent experience.

In particular I was reading their readers comments on the Climate Camp. All very one sided and anti-Climate Camp. I think we need a few counter comments!

So if you are thinking about spreading the message try following the following link and commenting there.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=475039&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770&expand=true#StartComments

WE CAN WIN THIS!

Bernie

Businesses in denial

14.08.2007 10:27

Mr Goater who keeps being trotted out onto the TV screen at news casts etc by the Brit Airports Association, avoids mentioning that is he and his bizz mates who are jacking up CO2 emissions by flying to conferences, meetings etc instead of video-conferencing - how many unnecessary flights has he taken this year instead of using his (solar-powered) Blackberry to good effect?
Keep dry at the camp everyone - thanks for what you're doing

D Skrytek
mail e-mail: theadora@screaming.net
Homepage: http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/derbyfoe

Poem Acclaim- Fart Tonic

14.08.2007 12:25

Cataleptic coma inform
Acclimate pain comfort
Malpractice foam tonic

Acclimate atop confirm!
Camp Coalface (Minor Tit)
Maraca Complicit Often!

Malpractice faction ……”Om”
Acclimation Camper, oft
Fanatical recommit Cop!

Commie fanatic rap clot?
Climate caftan micro op?
A fractal comet icon imp?
Camp Acclimation Forte!!!

Jani
Homepage: http://www.thehubbub.org.uk

no more crap poetry please!

14.08.2007 12:59

It doesn't do our cause any good at all.

laureate

Um..... is silliness banned under anti-terrorism laws too?

14.08.2007 14:28

Censors strike everywhere, don't they!

IF you were qualified to make a judgement on poetry, you would know that it's not a poem - it's a series of anagrams disguised as a poem & meant to be a bit of fun in response to another one posted here yesterday, which I found amusing.

In my opinion (as valid as yours by the way), a bit of humour does OUR cause lots of good.

If you disagree, you may wish to state your opinions as opinions, and do so politely. I don't appreciate being shot down on a public forum - thanks.

Jani
Homepage: http://www.thehubbub.org.uk

Muse

14.08.2007 14:32

Oh! A one-god airport!

Oath Ordering A Poo!
Poor hair-do on gate,
Oh airport, do Genoa!

Ah, one good airport.
A Pig-ranter hoodoo
(heat good, rain poor,
other paranoid goo...)

Agenda: Riot, oh poor! (airport on Doha ego)
I adopt Gonorrhoea!
(hardon gooier atop)

Poo Had on riot-gear!
Paranoid ogre hoot, “Poo, A danger. Oh, Riot!”
A goon, he do airport.
Paranoid hero to go, “Harden a poo, Go Riot!”
Cataleptic coma inform
Acclimate pain comfort

Poo-head Riot Organ!

Oh-o, ornate pig road.
Airport ego: do Noah!
“A riot,” groaned Pooh.

Malpractice foam tonic

Acclimate atop confirm!
Camp Coalface (Minor Tit)
Maraca Complicit Often!

Malpractice faction ……”Om”

Acclimation Camper, oft
Fanatical recommit Cop!
A hog-poo and rioter,
goon airhead troop.
Pig-odor hoot-arena,
a poor, rationed hog.
We have committed to completely leverage existing corporate information in order to globally integrate principle-centered deliverables in order to solve business problems
Commie fanatic rap clot?
Climate caftan micro op?
A fractal comet icon imp?
Camp Acclimation Forte!!!

E.Cant

daily mail responses

14.08.2007 17:53

It's interesting how the responses to the Daily Mail article are almost identical to the one's on the BBC and the Sun... clearly there's alot of people with very little imagination! Anyhow, impressed with how it's going, it's convinced me to come visit. Oh and keep the poetry coming, don't understand a word of it but it made me smile

Airport disruption?

14.08.2007 17:56

BAA seem to be instigating its own disruption to the airport in response to a story that Climate Campers will don suits to gain entrance. They are planning to inspect all tickets at doors to the Flight Terminals which should slow things down a bit.

Itsme

Re: Daily Mail

15.08.2007 00:03

I wouldn't bother posting comments on the Daily Mail site, it is not open publishing and they filter out any comments they don't like, so there were probably 4 times as many in support but they wouldn't be posted.

The main victims of climate change will be people living in the global South, the world's poorest and most vulnerable. As sea levels rise, millions in Bangladesh and other parts of Asia will lose their homes through flooding and the resulting famine will cause the deaths of many. I doubt this will concern Daily Mail readers though as they will be too busy whinging about how the deaths have reduced the amount of slave labour available to multinational corporations to make cheap products for them, or the "tide" of displaced people (asylum seekers/dole scroungers to them) crossing the border and doing their job better than they can do it and making the country too "foreign".

But today they are too busy willfully lapping up the climate change denial campaign which E$$o have poured £££ into, so they can fill up the tank guilt free.

Luckily with Daily Mail authoritarian parents like that, all their children will turn out to be anarchists so there is hope for us all yet. ;)

Mike

Dangerous Cricket Club Head to Climate Camp

15.08.2007 08:02

Mary, the team umpire of The Lower Bloomington Dangerous Cricket Club made a statement to me this morning at 9.00am to convey to the press, as we were wending our way, at speed, as I travelled with the Bloomington Dangerous Cricket Club to the Climate Camp.

“We are currently heading to Heathrow, practicing on top of the team double-decker bus, and, I am afraid to say, rapidly running out of cricket balls. So, a general call-out for more balls, please; search your sheds before setting off to the camp, and bring the kiddies to witness us playing blindfold on stilts at the camp. But DONT join us on runway 1, kiddies, it’s too dangerous …. and we guarantee we wont be using grenades this weekend.... Hey, stop the bus, ... man overboard ......

Actually, I m on my way to Spain, and just getting a lift to Heathrow to travel back to Spain, but, as well as press officer, i am treasurer of the Club, the first aid officer, and occasionally bowl a few overs of off-spin - although only in normal league games, I might add.

By the way the Wicket Keepers alright. He was on the Cider at breakfast so he felt no pain.

Harold Hamlet
mail e-mail: harold.hamlet@virgin.net

Daily Mail has not printed my earlier comments either

15.08.2007 08:50

But this is what I wanted to say...... Peter in Durham, there are no American or European protesters flying in via Heathrow. Elizabeth in London, nobody is planning to leave hoax bombs. Russell in London, UK emissions per head are far greater than Chinese and Indian emissions per head (check Wikipedia). China and India are only bringing themselves up to European energy consumption levels so we cannot criticise them at all. We also cannot expect them to reduce their energy or carbon emissions before we do especially as many Chinese and Indians live in abject poverty. D.Walker in Burnley, nearly everyone is getting to the camp by public transport. Wiz in Midlands, thank you for not travelling by air for 12 years, you have a very small carbon footprint, have a great holiday!

John Ackers

BAA cause their own disruption through their stupidity

15.08.2007 12:54

Airport disruption?
14.08.2007 18:56

BAA seem to be instigating its own disruption to the airport in response to a story that Climate Campers will don suits to gain entrance. They are planning to inspect all tickets at doors to the Flight Terminals which should slow things down a bit.
Itsme

Genius, as in an attempt to ease bureaucarcy and save postage and paper some years back the majority of airlines did away with tickets all together and just used your passport and/or reference number! Ha ha ha. That's going to piss off lots of people who don't have tickets ie. anyone who has booked online.

Question for BAA - how do you check an e-ticket?

ha ha ha they really are idiots!

Airport ticket inspector

amazing if brief experience

15.08.2007 19:34

me and my boyfriend spent yesterday afternoon/night/this morning at the camp and it was incredibly inspirational, to say the least.

i wish we could've stayed for the duration but you try telling our cats that.

all the best

peoples republic of southwark

Ian Bone condemns Climate Campers!

15.08.2007 20:26

an Bone states in his Blog:

"Has there ever been a bunch of middle class wankers to match that crew of self-righteous smug holier than thou trustifarians at CAMP CLIMATE CHANGE dedicated to stopping working class families having a cheapo holiday in Spain while no doubt planning their gap year round the world save the Kalahari bushmen eco-friendly filmed for Channel 4 planet saving organic soil association junket! Surely one plum in the mouth GEORGE MONBIOT is enough but a whole fucking field of them…………where’s foot in the fucking mouth when you fucking need it? EH?"

Well I guess that if Bone says so it must be true!

I wonder how many ot the campers Bone ever met?

http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/camp-climate-change-no-thanks/

Dog

reply to Dog

15.08.2007 21:20

There´s only one thing about your comment that I wouldn´t agree with: it is, in fact, wrong.

You see if the climate carries on changing as it is, Spain will be hit very hard. It´s average yearly temperature will shoot up, and water supplies will disappear. Nobody will want to go to spain, because it will be like the chuffing Saharah.

So dog. If the he people on the camp help achieve the reversal of climate change they will help the Spanish tourist industry and help retain a wonderful holiday destination for the working classes, you bonehead.

And if someones´s been to Uni, and their pareants have left them money, what better thing to do with it than try to change the world, and go on a few minibreaks to aouth merica to vist indiginous cultures. Are you fucking jealous or what. I know i am a tad.

Putting things straight, yours as ever

Harold Hqmlet

Harold Hamlet
mail e-mail: harold.hamler@virgin.net

OTT Police Presence?

15.08.2007 23:25

Subject: Climate Camp - Cyclists

To demonstrate their commitment to renewable energy etc. many hundreds of supporters are cycling from all over the UK to the Climate Camp at Heathrow.

See:

http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/bikeride.php

Just now - Tuesday - I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in Harlington the nearest village to the Camp. They looked like a bunch of normal cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4 uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police minibuses full of uniformed police.

Now THAT's what I call an escort service for a cycle ride - even the London to Brighton run with its thousands of cyclists never had that level of support - but a tad waste of tax payer's money?

====

Subject: Climate Camp - Marchers

Then on Wednesday afternoon a small march of about 20 protesters incl. a drummer and large banner processed down Harlington High Street. This little group was surrounded by about 40 uniformed police, accompanied by at least a couple of motorbike outriders, two police cars, AND about SEVEN police minibuses full of uniformed police. The extent of the police support very successfully backed up the rush hour traffic along the High Street and Bath Road (A4) extremelly successfully. Nice one guys.

Again that's a pretty good escort for a mere 20 young noisy protesters. We had over 250 protesters a while back during a local march from Harlington to Harmondsworth - and only got a copule of local bobbies to help.

Again a tad wasteful of tax payer's money I think?

CJB

Chris Brady
mail e-mail: chrisjbrady@yahoo.com

attention Harold Hqmlet

15.08.2007 23:55

Harold mate, read the comment with your eyes open please, all I did was paste a quote from Ian Bones Blog! ............. Its a bunch of crap!

If you read the comment properly you might have noticed the quote marks around what Bone wrote.

I am a supporter, not a critic, I was just showing how dumb Ian Bones statement is based on utter ignorance of any of the campers!

Did you not notice the last line?

Dog

Editors - mistake in the feature

16.08.2007 00:03

In the feature, it says "Climate activists from the US and Australia" while Australia links to the Save Happy Valley Coalition, a campaign in New Zealand, not Australia. Woops!

An Aotearoa Indymedia editor
Homepage: http://anarchia.wordpress.com

thanks

16.08.2007 00:39

ouch. corrected. thanks.

geographically challenged imcista

Apologies to Dog

16.08.2007 09:03

Quite right dog.

I was up for it last night, and in my rush for the jugular I missed the fact that you were quoting this Bonehead.

I had also downed the best part of a reasonble bottle of Rioja with my pasta and tofu with tomato salsa which may have blurred by already deteriorating vision. I chased this all down with chocalate ice-cream which I am afraid to say wasn´t very vegan.

Your as ever, and big enough to say I got it wrong

Harold hamlet

PS. Anyone got a recipe for vegan chocalate ice-cream?

Harold Hamlet
mail e-mail: harold.hamlet@virgin.net

Bone is spot on

16.08.2007 10:53

middle-class posh hippy students eating vegan food in a la'al field never changed a thing and it never fuckin will. In ten years time these 'environmentalists' will have used their degrees to get jobs in the city and jet off every year to the carribean
no war but the fucking class war

anarchist

Jeeeeez

16.08.2007 15:31

Ohh my god, will you all ever shut up!

£30

Poetry in motion

16.08.2007 15:32

Janni;
Yer a fookin nutty slapper and yer poetry sucks as bad as you do.

antinutter

The FIT's incursion onto the camp was planned by CO2558 Steve Discombe

16.08.2007 17:31

CO2558 Steve Discombe didn't spot this camera in time.

If you see Steve around Heathrow this weekend be sure to say hello, but whatever you do please don't take his photo as he hates to be photographed...

fitwatcher

photographs

16.08.2007 19:57

then why did you post his picture? Is it because you're a petty smallminded wanker who cant get his vengeance any other way because youre too scared to approach him? Or is it because youre a soap-dodging dole-scrounging lentil-scoffing layabout whos scared that he might tell the benefit office that youre there and not looking for work?

the vast majority

Steve's life

16.08.2007 21:53

I wasn't surprised to see his face on here. Steve is a well known prat in his local community. I feel for his family who have to face the neighbours. It can't be easy for them given the gossiping that goes on behind his back

I know that Steve bloke

Media Theme

16.08.2007 23:06

I'm reading through the main stream media reports and looking for the common theme. There is talk again and again about arrest after arrest (even if it is the same arrest). There is talk about the deceptive behaviour of the protestors - who are bringing in smart clothes. As though those at the camp have to be scruffy. There is talk about allowing the use of 'terror legislation' against those at the camp because of the danger that people present pose. There is talk about extremist anarchist bent on trouble. The media have won the battle. The image has been painted in the public's mind:
'A fringe group; to whom the police must be allowed to control by what ever means is necessary to ensure 'safety'.'
The mainstream media have successfully cut the connection to middle England (who enjoy having a few flights each year). To turn things around we need to:
1) Re-asert the attack on the Media violence wash.
2) Have 'non-swampies' provide testimony of their involvement and realisation of the need to change.
3) Re-State this is legitimate and legal
4) Evidence that is peaceful again and again and again.
5) Call for a mass turn out of law abiding citizens. "Something must be done. Something can be done!"

Happy Public Relations ;)

Joe Brannon

I know him too!

16.08.2007 23:44

If this is the same Steve Discombe as I know of (it looks like him) he was particularly unpopular at my school for being a bit stupid, a bit racist and a bully. and having a tiny... inside leg measurement.
x

A vaster majority

UK Indymedia