Transition Heathrow is a grassroots action group working to build resilient Heathrow communities, capable of collectively coping with the injustices and threats of climate change and peak oil.
At 9am this morning, a real sense of solidarity could be felt outside Trafford Magistrate’s Court. The six defendants appearing in court face an aggravated trespass charge for forming a circle using armtubes around the wheel of a Monarch Airline jet last May. Everyone was in high spirits, mixed with anticipation, despite the drizzling rain. The relaxed atmosphere was slightly tainted by the unnecessary presence of a FIT officer, invasively filming supporters of the defendants as they arrived at court.
We need to start waking up to the fact that climate change isn’t just a problem for future generations; we are seeing its devastating impacts now. The aviation industry receives tax breaks of £9 billion each year, including paying nothing on fuel, while public sectors are cut and the VAT we pay on toilet roll increases to 20%. Why is it fair that the aviation industry gets special treatment whilst other sectors must reduce their emissions? This is what Kevin Anderson from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Research has been asking this afternoon as he spoke at the trial. He was arguing for the necessity of the defendants’ actions in the face of runaway climate change, adding that even the current emissions of the aviation industry exceed the capacity of our climate, let alone if airports continue to expand.
The actions of the Manchester defendants are an example of how we might be able to see real change; signing petitions just isn’t enough anymore. We need to start targeting the industries and corporations who are not only dodging tax whilst public sectors are cut, but also continue exploiting our planet.
Come and support the defendants tomorrow or Wednesday morning at 9am at Trafford Magistrate’s Court, Manchester, or send your statements of support to manchesterairportontrial@gmail.com.
Campaigners descended on Heathrow Airport around Saturday lunchtime in a coordinated attempt to highlight the fact that the aviation industry pays no VAT.
In a protest modelled on those recently seen at Oxford Street stores like Vodafone and Topshop by campaign group UK Uncut, over 100 campaigners from TakeVAT and other direct action groups such as Plane Stupid ran around terminal 3 at Heathrow airport ‘confiscating items’.
The campaigners were symbolically ‘confiscating’ items such as luggage trolleys and toilet roll, to highlight the fact that there is no VAT on airline tickets, the purchase of planes or on spare parts for aircraft.
In January VAT rose to 20%. Hard working families across the country are being hit hardest by the rise whilst the aviation industry – which is mainly a habit of the rich, remains a special case and is completely exempt.
There were also protests in Leeds where around 20 protesters targeted Leeds/Bradford Airport. As soon as they arrived off the bus they were met by a handful of police and scuffles broke out as the protesters tried to reach the terminal building. In the end they managed to sit down together to make their point heard just outside the main terminal building.
Spokesperson for TakeVAT London, David Nivens said:
“It is simply unfair that aviation pays no VAT. Why should one of the dirtiest and noisiest industries in the world get away scot-free when ordinary people are charged VAT on basic necessities like toilet rolls?”
Spokesperson for TakeVAT Leeds, University of Leeds student Joseph Blake said:
“As the government imposes austerity measures on hard working families across the UK, the aviation industry gets away with £9 billion a year in VAT tax exemptions. We took action today in solidarity with the London protests and to demand the government put people first, and not climate criminals like the aviation industry”.
MEALS: Vegan meals will be available. All food will be vegetarian.
FRI: Food may not be provided
SAT LUNCH: Pot-luck picnic: bring veggie/vegan food to share
SAT DINNER: Cooked meal
SUN: Breakfast and lunch provided, dinner not guaranteed
COSTS: Whatever you can afford. Donations towards food, speakers’ travel expenses and use of venue; plus separate donation towards possible travel pool to help skint people who had to travel from further afield.
BOOKING YOUR PLACE: Register your interest by 12 FEB so we get enough grub in, and so we can send you details of the programme, etc and can inform you of any changes / public transport problems, etc.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS – Please get in touch ASAP if you have any particular requirements, e.g. dietary / mobility / sensory impairment / religious / pet llamas / children / allergy to people.
SLEEPING: Cabin crash space available Friday evening to Sunday evening, plus lots of camping space. Bring sleeping bag / thermals. Bring a tent if you want to camp.
You can probably stay longer if you want to – if so, please get in touch with Grow Heathrow direct, via their website (see link above).
WORKSHOPS – These will start on Saturday morning, from 10am, and finish on Sunday afternoon, around 4pm.
Probable info / discussion workshops:
Why resist nuclear power?
What are the low / zero carbon alternatives? Are they practical?
Current situation and resistance:
Hinkley Point and Sizewell
Boycott EDF
Nuclear waste
Resistance to nuclear weapons and uranium (‘DU’) weapons?
Other campaigns
Possible skills sharing workshops:
Planning a campaign strategy
Basic Non-violent Direct Action (NVDA) skills – affinity groups, blockading, quick consensus, role play, etc
Getting up trees, tripods, etc
Legal implications of taking NVDA
Getting creative
Other suggestions??
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CONTACT:
E-mail: london [at] stopnuclear poweruk.net
Nine Plane Stupid protesters who shut down Aberdeen airport on the morning of March 3rd 2009 appeared in court today to finally receive their sentences. The judge and court took the protesters’ urgent message on climate change seriously and gave out very modest fines ranging from £300 to £700 each adding up to a total cost of around £4000 – £5000.
Crowds of activists, local supporters and press gathered outside Aberdeen Sheriff Court at 10am for the sentencing hearing of the Climate 9, the group recently found guilty of Breach of the Peace for occupying the city’s airport last year. During the two week trial in June, expert witnesses explained how aviation emissions are fuelling climate change and detailed some of the local effects, including flooding impacts.
In anticipation of the sentencing one of the trial’s expert witnesses Dr Geoff Meaden said:
“Society’s problem is that, other than through civil disobedience, there are often no legitimate means of getting governments (at any level) to ‘act correctly’ or to act in the best long term interests of people, environments or indeed the planet. In the absence of such a ‘jury’ or ‘commission’, then we have to be glad that there are groups such as Climate9 who are bold enough to bring to the public’s attention existing injustices.”
Since the trial the group has also received support from communities around the world, suffering from climate change effects, with commitment to keep the 9 active in taking action to stop runaway climate change. The group have vowed to continue their campaign highlighting the danger of aviation carbon emissions.
Dan Glass, one of the Climate9 members said:
“Against the backdrop of the Copenhagen Summit failures and new waves of climate chaos, all over the world people demanding climate justice have complained to the politicians and to the judges. It’s time we did something for ourselves. The Climate9 will not uphold increasing state and police repression and camouflage the strugglethat is climate injustice. The Climate9 provide an opportunity to spread the need for urgent action, to halt airport growth and to challenge the authorities with pride and confidence. Whatever we received today, this climate court trial won’t be the last time. Our future and the health of every species is too important to leave it in the hands of the few.”
One such group is The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland who passed this in the AGM in response to the Climate9 movement.
“Affirm that there are times when non violent direct action involving potential and actual civil disobedience in the form of deliberate lawbreaking, may be regarded as a legitimate approach to expressing the Gospel.”
2 days before sentencing one of Britain’s best-known defence barristers also threw his weight behind the Climate9 before they were due to be sentenced in Aberdeen Crown Court. Michael Mansfield QC said
“As I write one fifth of Pakistan, already blighted by earthquakes, is covered with flood waters threatening the health and safety of over six million people. Without conscientious and principled protest which focuses on the undoubted factors which contribute to this decimation of the environment, the urgency of the problem will not be addressed. I trust these entirely legitimate and selfless objectives will be reflected in the way the Climate 9 are judged by the court.”
Jimmy Kerr, one of the Climate9 members said:
“The trial generated public support from many corners keeping up the pressure on the legal system to one day recognise the importance of environmental action. Indeed we need to keep that momentum up. There is so much knowledge to be shared as a result of this case, from and legal issues, to public health to popular education and much much more. We can offer talks, workshops or advice and you can help by arranging an event and inviting us to take part.”
Last Wednesday night at 9.15pm I swooped with 100 other activists onto this years climate camp site. The site is a stone throw away from the RBS Headquarters at there Gogarburn site just outside Edinburgh.
Initially I was doubtful of the over ambitious plans to camp so close to this years target but 24 hours later I was proven wrong. By camping on the grounds of the headquarters the camp has become a piece of direct action in itself. Everyday the big bosses who are responsible for the massive climate wrecking plans that RBS have funded can see out of their shiny windows camp life in process.
So far the policing has been very relaxed with them even allowing 150 activists to take a tour round the building on Friday lunchtime. Speeches, music and lots of dancing was the theme of the day however one activist did manage to get through and super glue herself to the front desk.
This is just the beginning as on Monday at least 500 climate campers have vowed to shut the place down. And they deserve it! We, the people, own 83% of RBS and they are using our money to fund dirty coal, oil and gas projects all over the world including some of the most dirtiest projects such as the tar sands in Canada.
For more information or for directions to the 5 day camp check out the climate camp website:
The week, from 21st – 25th June, was a brilliantly mad one as the Interference group – a group of over 20 radical artists, activists and individuals, learnt about the links between art and activism.
We went on a day trip to the Grow Heathrow camp in the village of Sipson, the village recently saved from destruction due to the cancellation of the third runway.
As we arrived the group was having introductory talks from Paddy. I was busy being horrendously late, and had to wait for someone to find the keys for the gate. Looking over at the row of greenhouses it looked homely and welcoming, and I got to chat to some of the long term people on the site who’d been working to turn this land into an organic market garden from March. It was easy to see the huge commitment made to the site as derelict greenhouses had been restored to working spaces full of plants, sofas and working equipment (all donated mostly from the local community). There were several tonnes of rubbish on site that the local residents had convinced Hillingdon council to clear free of charge.
What Interference has found so inspiring from this is that it found activism at its extreme end and at its most potent, working with local communities for real change and long term goals. The land itself is also gorgeous, although ridiculously hot in the summer heat. It was a fully working mini village, with living space, toilets and plenty of food growing around us. The people at Grow Heathrow welcomes visitors with workshops and talks about climate change, permaculture and the surrounding issues of these.
My main task for the day was helping to create lunch with Kasha and Lisa from Interference. We already had chilli cooked by Sam and Mark, as well as some little extras, and finding the communal kitchen wonderful to use, decided to get a little bit ambitious. I made my best ever pot of rice, fried some potatoes and made red onion marmalade using the supplies generously given to us by the Grow Heathrow team. We all had a fantastic lunch in the shade, following a morning of the Interference group helping out on site with construction and gardening.
During the afternoon, fully inspired by the visit, we went off in our groups across the rest of the site to plan our own actions the next day around east London (you can read all about that in our book ‘A piece of the action’ self published and released, or have a look at our flickr account for a visual account of the week, including our time at Grow Heathrow).
Having moved away from Hounslow recently I’m looking forward to returning to that wonderful place (as are many other Interference people!) for the working weekend coming on —- where volunteers once again will pitch their fork into making the land functional and beautiful. Come and join us there!
Last year the Climate 9 stopped tonnes of dangerous greenhouse gas emissions by disrupting operations at Aberdeen Airport. You can see leaked footage of the action by clicking here. After deliberating for 4 hours, the majority of the jury in Aberdeen- the ‘oil capital of Europe’, found them guilty of breach of the peace. They will be sentenced in August.
The court of international opinion has come to a slightly different verdict, with messages of support flooding in from those on the frontline of climate change and commentators like John Pilger and Mike Mansfield QC.
This is the first time since the failure of the Copenhagen process that evidence of the dangers of climate change and aviation emissions have been presented by climate experts to a jury.
Speaking during the trial, expert witnesses Dr Alice Bows and Dr Geoff Meaden shocked many by explaining that the UK governements emissions targets are not radical enough to prevent future generations from experiencing catastrophic events. Like the flooding in Brazil this week, where 100,000 people have been made homeless, 1,000 peoplle are missing and at least 42 people sadly lost their lives.
These horrific events are why we must continue to take action to stop greenhouse gas emmissions, especially when the response from the government is woefully inadequate.
As one of the defendants, Jimmy, explained outside the court:
“While they talk, and nothing changes, people all over the world are starting to act. Even if it means standing up against the states use of legal intimidation. This verdict shows that the mechanisms of the establishment won’t stop run away climate change. The expert witnessess have shown that we must take effective action, the protest at Aberdeen has shown that we can.”
The first major climate trial since the failure of the Copenhagen talks has begun in Aberdeen Sheriff’s court this morning.
Nine defendants from Plane Stupid Scotland will face charges charges of Breach of the Peace and Vandalism after closing down Aberdeen Airport in March 2009 (hyper link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7924952.stm ). The group were highlighting the climate impacts of expanding the airport which they argue is mainly to support wealthy golfers at a proposed near by course owned by business tycoon Donald Trump.
Interest has been building around the case since Climate 9 public campaigns were launched in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and London, which have drawn global and local support for the group and helped forge alliances with social justice campaigners and racial justice movements.
The defendants are pleading not guilty on the grounds that their actions were to prevent the larger crime of runaway climate change and have assembled a witness list of world-renowned experts in climate related fields including public health consultant Jenny Griffiths and Geoff Meaden, who contributed to the successful Kingsnorth6 defence as a flooding and mapping expert. The defendants were joined outside court by around 50 friends, families and supporters.
For more information, statements of support and how you can help the Climate 9 see:
Workers’ Climate Action, a campaign network of environmentalists, trade unionists and class struggle activists that fights for a Just Transition, hosted a critical mass cycle ride around Heathrow on Saturday 22nd May.
The event was planned to coincide with the British Airways Cabin Crew strikes, but after a petty legal skirmish earlier in the week, it was not certain whether a Flying Bike Picket would actually being picketing anyone. The strikes were due to start on Tuesday 18th May, but BA won an injunction on Monday against Unite to stop the strikes. This judgment was won on a technicality; that Unite had failed to notify every member of 11 spoilt ballots. This injunction was perfectly timed to delay the beginning of the strike. Finally, the injunction was successfully appealed on Thursday, and Unite could then legally proceed with the strikes. But the strikes did not go ahead, and at time of going to press, BA and Unite were still in negotiations.
The legal debacle was clearly an attempt to break the workers, the Union and the right to strike. With this in mind, WCA decided that it was now, even more important to defend the right to strike and to go out to Heathrow to make sure the cabin crew were made aware of WCA’s support and to encourage solidarity action from the rest of the Heathrow workforce.
So, on Saturday afternoon in the afternoon sun, a critical mass of 25 cyclists set off for Heathrow airport. The mass started from Grow Heathrow, a community garden in Sipson set up by Tranisition Heathrow. A number of Sipson residents joined the mass too to show their solidarity with the cabin crew as well as a celebration of the plans to axe the Third Runway, which would have tarmac-ed their village and destroyed their homes.
The mass was a colourful and musical display of creative solidarity and highlighted the current threat to our collective right to strike. The bike were covered in slogans such as ‘Not the Courts, Not the State, Workers should decide their fate!’, ‘Abolish the Anti-Trade Union Laws’ and ‘Environmentalists want to defend the right to strike!’.
The mass cycled through the beautiful greenery surrounding the airport on the way to its first stop: British Airways HQ, where a local resident, who used to work for BA and lost his three-year-old child to aviation pollution, addressed the workers inside to support the cabin crew and fight their bullying boss Willie Walsh.
Next stop – Terminal 5. There were many BA workers by the entrance on smoking breaks, many of whom seemed pleased to accept this playful display of solidarity. Then the critical mass left the road and entered the terminal building, swerving passed dismayed security staff, cycled passed the check-in desks demanding protection of the right to strike.
The mass then continued on its course, visiting other parts of the airport and the surrounding villages to spread its message of solidarity and dissent, while simultaneously slowing traffic at every turn. The critical mass is currently the most effective and creative way to show your solidarity in a workplace such as Heathrow airport; it allows you to be mobile, avoid security and dissent in a fun and inclusive way.
Its been almost 3 weeks since we all returned from Copenhagen, and we’re settling back into normality. With the Direct Action Workshop coming up this Sunday, we’re all getting quite excited that the ball is rolling with the project. I feel like we’re really getting somewhere and our meetings are becoming more productive. I’m really looking forward to having an open-space meeting to broaden my mind in terms of the possibilities of Transition Heathrow. Copenhagen was certainly an invaluable experience for me. We went with a group of about 40 activists; it was interesting to see how everyone within our affinity group coped in a foreign environment, without the comforts and fall backs of normal mobilisations. George Webster, a reporter for CNN who spent time with our affinity group, made this fantastic video about our time in Copenhagen. It outlines some of the things we got up to whilst out there and beautifully captures the essence of our group. You can see the video here:
My next project is to create a video about Transition Heathrow. I’m quite excited to start this because media can be so powerful in winning people over and presenting a clear and concise image of what we are all about. Images and videos can create a more intimate insight into things than just a piece of text. So I’m going to get started with that, and see what happens!
“These youngsters have worked so hard to transform this place in to something that is very beneficial to our village. It would be a sin to let those horrible people back with their dirt and filth.
It was a very dangerous place to be for children. Please do not allow this.” by MR & MRS P RUMBLE, LOCAL RESIDENTS
