Skip navigation

Indymedia UK is a network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues

Virgin flies you to death

noborders-imc video | 21.09.2007 19:11 | No Border Camp 2007 | Migration | Birmingham | London | South Coast

Short video of the occupation of Virgin Offices in Crawley this morning.

Asylum Profiteers, Virgin Atlantic deport vulnerable people to Nigeria where they face possible torture or even death. 12 protesters walked into their Crawley offices today with a banner and leaflets informing staff of their company's business with the Home Office to forcibly remove people.

See  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/09/381628.html for more details

noborders-imc video


Additions

video posted on youtube

27.09.2007 16:36

The video clip of the demonstration which has also been posted on You Tube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIuBUsSPsPk has been attracting some 'interesting' comments.

virgin flies you to death


Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

++

22.09.2007 19:12

great footage, good action. keep the phun going.

great footage


Idiots get wrong part of Virgin

26.09.2007 07:59

This is really funny - "Camp Climate attacks Holiday company" should be the real title of this piece. I'm sure Virgin Holidays sending people to Disneyland was always the original target. I'm sure they walked off, switched off the camera's and got in their Land Rovers back to suburbia... great

Duncan Stevens


A cheap holiday in other peoples misery!

26.09.2007 08:15

""Camp Climate attacks Holiday company" " - hmm - you got the wrong camp altogether - at least they got a part of the Branson empire - whilst Virgin Holidays are a worthy target for Climate Change protestors, it takes some strech of the imagination to believe that Virgin Holidays are unconnected to Virgin Atlantic, which is happy to be involved in the forcible deportation of people to Nigeria.

Branson, who gave the McCanns £100 000 towards their legal fees, so that they could get justice from Johnny Foreigner, appears to care little about Johnny Foreigner getting justice from us.

“We at Virgin believe 100% that we owe it to our customers and our staff to ensure that our future economic growth is built on firm, ethically sustainable business models. Businesses need to be bold and creative, to develop radical new products and find alternative ways of doing business. Since innovation and creativity are at the heart of the Virgin culture we feel that our group of businesses are well placed to take advantage of the opportunity this presents.”
Richard Branson

Besides the fact that Virgin Holidays use Virgin Atlantic planes, forcible deportations don't seem to fit into Branson's Virgin Culture at all.

In any case, Virgin seems to think the 2 are related:  http://www.virgin.com/home.aspx

Richard Bransons racist conscience


I agree that climate change action is required - but not like this

26.09.2007 14:42

I think that the action on Virgin Holidays is devalued slightly by there being much more carefree targets...

I feel a little disapointed that they did not do thier research
P.S Thanks for the link.. I found this on the page you reccommended:

 http://www.virgin.com/RBP/Environment/Introduction.aspx

Checking Facts is always important


"I feel a little disapointed that they did not do thier research"

26.09.2007 16:07

Go and do your own action against your own target whenever you feel like it.

In the meantime, the target was a company that is involved in forcible deportations and was therefore spot on.

They did something more useful than anonymous whines on the internet. And well done for being impressed by greewash - not bad for someone whose opening gambit was to call others idiots, because they themselves are unable to join the dots.

It wasn't a climate camp action - it was a No Borders action.;

virgin = virgin = virgin


Confused

26.09.2007 17:37

There seems to be some confusion on Camp Climate vs No Boarders here. lets get rid of that and move on...

Virgin = Virgin = understood.

Virgin Holidays was attacked (owned by Virgin Atlantic)
Virgin Atlantic was the target but does not fly to Nigeria
Virgin Nigeria does fly to Nigeria and I'm sure it is the contraversial source

I still can't see the point - what did it achieve? Virgin is a well thought of company in most aspects and my perception of this event is not entirely positive.

If I was a keen activist I would think that this was a master stroke - but you have to consider the people who only interact with a subject like this when reported on the news. It's purpose is not entirely clear (hence the confusion above but not completely).

I'd like to know more about it, so I can decide if I agree



Steve Niave


The same company

26.09.2007 17:49

"Virgin Nigeria is Nigeria's private sector flag carrier, 51% owned by Nigerian institutional investors and 49% owned by Virgin Atlantic."
 http://www.virginnigeria.com/en/ng/explorevna.html

"The airline was renamed Virgin Atlantic Airways and on June 22nd 1984 Virgin's inaugural flight to Newark took off. The airline's policy was simple 'to provide all classes of traveller with the highest quality travel at the lowest cost' and this is a philosophy that is still in place today.

Following the creation of the airline, Virgin Holidays was started in 1985. It became operational in January 1986 with a view to selling seats on the new Virgin Atlantic routes to New York, Orlando and Miami."
 http://www.virginholidays.co.uk/info/about/who_are_we/about_us/default.aspx

"- but you have to consider the people who only interact with a subject like this when reported on the news."

Hmm, the only place it got reported is here, where apparently the simple equation "virgin = virgin" is beyond the ability of quite a few commenteers.

virgin = virgin = virgin


Further useful resources

09.09.2011 06:43

Here is a great resource for finding out the views of the man himself:

 http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson

Michael
 http://www.holidaysplease.co.uk/holidays/mauritius-holidays/mauritius/

Michael Brown


Links