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Climate change protesters who had chained themselves to the gates of a private airport have been arrested.
Police said 11 demonstrators at Biggin Hill Airport, in south London, have been held under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.

The group said they were voicing their opposition to the growth in the number of people using private jets.

They had blocked the passenger entrance, but an airport spokesman said flights had been running on schedule.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6949056.stm

What a bunch of arrogant so and so's thinking they have the right to control peoples lifestyles and hobbies, and for some at Biggin, their livelihood. Disgraceful

I have a general attitude towards protesters, stay out of my way and your more than welcome to rant on like an idiot. Talk to me about it, I'll tell you once to leave me alone. Block my way and stop me going about my business and your going to be on the floor with a bloody nose.

"(They are) saying they will not only continue to fly, but they will fly in the most carbon inefficient way possible," he said.

So what? It's their hard earned money (usually), so they should be able to spend it how they wish, without trying to please some preachy do-gooders.

We should organise a flypast at their next protest... http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0313104/L/

"(They are) saying they will not only continue to fly, but they will fly in the most carbon inefficient way possible," he said.

So what? It's their hard earned money (usually), so they should be able to spend it how they wish, without trying to please some preachy do-gooders.

We should organise a flypast at their next protest... http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0313104/L/

It would be worth pretending to be an environmental campaigner just to see that :D:D:D

Talking about pretending, I was very tempting to go down to heathrow and stand by the camp taking pics, occasionally shouting out "ooooh...thats my favourite, cos it uses the most fuel"

.mic

We should organise a flypast at their next protest... http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0313104/L/

Ask the RAF to do a "Role Demo" of what they do to disperse large crowds in Iraq (as has been freely reported in the press).

......stand by the camp taking pics, occasionally shouting out "ooooh...thats my favourite, cos it uses the most fuel"

.mic

Great Idea. And seeing as the police wont let anything onto that site until it has all been photographed if anyone does anything, the police will have their beardy greenpeace face on the database.

We should get the whole SimV crew up there... wont be able to protest once they're unconscious.  ;D ;D

This type of behaviour really pisses me off.  >:(

Ah, now I see why we don't allow political discussions on SimV.  :o

I do agree with the protesters that emissions are a problem worth considering.  However, I do not agree with their tactics and I do not agree with their totalitarian stance.

As for their tactics, I think such grandstanding gestures add more to the drama and distract from the potential for real discussion.  Furthermore, I would hazard the suggestion that if a group feels seriously that the airline industry has glaring issues with the type of fuels it uses and the efficiency of the engines used, perhaps they want to pool their resources and send a few of their members to various engineering schools and programs so that they can contribute to finding solutions first-hand.

As for stopping aviation, that simply is not feasible.  Too many economies and too many community infrastructures are reliant upon the goods and services aviation provides.  Simply ceasing in the use of aircraft would actually bring more problems than it would solve.  For example, people will still need food transported to various areas of the world, and if not by aircraft, then it will require even more vehicular logistics, unless of course you want people to starve.

All that being said, I do not advocate acts of violence against people simply because I disagree with their ideology or because they happen to be a complete "idiot" in my opinion.  If we go about advocating against people with whom we disagree, then we are also saying it is OK for people to advocate violence against us when they disagree with us.  Also, taunting is hardly constructive, either.  It simply fuels the enmity and misunderstanding that already exists.

I expect this thread shall probably find its way to the electronic dust bin sometime soon . . .

Thoughtfully all the best,
~Darrin

Boy, you guys are sure hard on protesters!  I thought the Chicago Riots of 1968 were bad...  :o

Boy, you guys are sure hard on protesters!  I thought the Chicago Riots of 1968 were bad...  :o

The choice of airfields were particularly poor too. Farnborough and Biggin Hill owe their continued existance as two of the most historically important locations aviation wise due to business aviation traffic (even if the Farnborough developers continue to destroy priceless historical buildings...). However, some of these people are far too narrow minded to remember the history that gave them the freedom to have an opinion in the first place...

Don't they know that chain making is also harmful to the environment and by purchasing chains they are themselves contributing to the propogation of greenhouse gasses?

Boy, you guys are sure hard on protesters!  I thought the Chicago Riots of 1968 were bad...  :o

Perhaps people don't like to be told how to run their lives, by people who think they know better!

Are you talking about protesters or parents?  :D