[London,Sat 17] Midday today, five hundred people flashmobbed Heathrow’s Terminal 5 in protest at the governments decision to give the go-ahead on building a third runway and yet another terminal. Among the mob were four naked women, lots of red ‘no expansion’ t-shirts, umbrellas and Heathrow’s largest conga dance. It was all finished within an hour.
The flashmob had been called for the first Saturday after the decision on the airports expansion plans and comes at the end of a packed week of protests which has already seen the domestic departures lounge of terminal three occupied by a Climate Rush dinner, a plot of land purchased by campaigners in the middle of the propose new runway and suffragettes escalating the militancy of the campaign by smashing windows at the governments Department of Transport.
The week also saw twenty four Plane Stupid activists quietly sentenced for their part in the blockading of Stansted airport late last year.
Many more actions are expected and the Climate Camp is holding a national gathering in Oxford next weekend at which proposals to shut down Heathrow airport down completely for a day are expected to be discussed.
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Attracting most press attention were four brave young ladies who had saved the ten quid for a red ‘STOP AIRPORT EXPANSION’ t-shirt and instead opted for red body paint with a black message across their midriffs, ‘Simply No Slaughter’ and a pair of strategically placed gold sticking plasters proclaiming ‘art’ and ‘port’ (port was indeed on the left.)
Among them were many of the locals who have led the long term opposition to the project, including some I photographed on the march in 2003 in Sipson and Harmondsworth, as well of course as John Stewart of HACAN and local MP John McDonnell who many were congratulating for his seizure of the mace in the House of Commons when the announcement was made.
For three-quarters of an hour the demonstrators chanted, threw red balloons in the air and red tennis balls at an ‘Aunt Sally’ of Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon and conga’ed around the area and had there pictures taken by a large squad of photographers including some from the national press and some TV crews.
They were watched by a few of those waiting to check in and rather more police and airport security staff who made a loose ring around event. But although the atmosphere before the demonstration had appeared a little tense, with police making continued patrols through the departure area presumably looking for trouble-makers, they seemed pretty relaxed – and some were clearly amused by what was happening.
Finally Stewart thanked us all for coming, and repeated the determination of all those involved to keep up the fight to ensure that despite the decision, the runway will never be built. McDonnell was given a cheer for his action in parliament and everyone was invited to take a last chance to pelt Hoon before we all slipped away to the undedrground and bus stations.