‘Oil Kills’ activists attempt to disrupt operations at UK and EU airports
Climate activists sought to disrupt operations at several UK and European airports, including Heathrow, on Wednesday (24 July) in the latest sign that groups are increasingly open to taking direct action.
Nine Just Stop Oil activists were arrested at two locations along Heathrow’s perimeter road as part of what they described as an "international uprising" against the use of fossil fuels under a new "Oil Kills" banner. Operations at the UK’s busiest airport have continued unaffected.
Earlier on Wednesday, supporters of environmental group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) gained access to the airfield at Cologne-Bonn airport in Germany and glued themselves to the runway.
“Airports are a place where it becomes clear: we can no longer afford what was once normal,” said one of the activists. “And so the airline industry must also be shut down fairly – especially private jets and domestic flights.
“We need a change, an international agreement for a socially-just phase-out of fossil fuels by 2030.”
Elsewhere, there was coordinated action by other groups uniting under the Oil Kills banner at several other airports – three activists got through the perimeter fence at Oslo airport, while another nine blocked the security gates at Helsinki’s Vantaa airport.
Similar acts of civil disobedience were also reported at airports in Barcelona, Zurich and Geneva.
It comes after two Just Stop Oil activists entered the private airfield at Stansted earlier this year and sprayed two private jets with orange paint, with the group hinting at a more concerted campaign this summer.
Some 27 Just Stop Oil supporters were subsequently arrested in late June on suspicion of planning to disrupt airport operations over the summer.
Cologne-Bonn airport has confirmed operations have resumed following police intervention, but warned travellers to expect possible delays and disruption throughout the day. "Passengers are asked to check with their airline or tour operator about the flight status.”
The international Oil Kills campaign was launched on Wednesday aiming to increase the pressure on governments around the world to sign up to a binding international treaty agreeing to phase out oil, gas and coal by 2030.
Last Generation told TTG that activists joining the Oil Kills campaign would be carrying out similar acts of civil disobedience at airports in more than 10 countries, describing airports as "a pillar of the fossil fuel industry".
"Oil, gas, and coal are threatening our existence," the group said in a Facebook post. "Billions of people are in danger and we refuse to accept this death any longer. Governments must work together to meet humanity’s greatest threat."
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Ilaria Grasso Macola
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