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BAA take off the gloves
By | August 2, 2007
A signal court case affecting the right of individuals to protest peacefully about climate change:
BAA are attempting to ban environmental campaigners from the airport, parts of the rail network and sections of the M25 and M4 motorways.
Heathrow Airport Ltd (part of BAA) has applied for an extremely broad injunction under the Protection from Harassment Act. The case was scheduled to last for the day, Wednesday 1 August, and is billed as Heathrow Airport Limited versus Garman.
Supporters of the umbrella organisation AirportWatch (including Friends of the Earth, the National Trust, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Woodland Trust) would be prevented from entering areas around named locations in London if they are intending to take part in this years Climate Camp gathering, scheduled for 14-21 August, an event aimed at informing the public of the impact of aviation on climate change and the action we can all take to minimise our collective footprint. The ban aims to shut down the camp whose organisers are against the expansion of Heathrow airport.
From a BAA perspective, as a business, first and foremost they act to deliver on the bottom line. The law obliges directors of public companies to do so. It should be no surprise that aviation industry companies, dependent on their very high emission activities, resist the essential changes society must make if we are to tackle climate change. That’s why court battles such as this are critical indicators of the re-prioritising we must undertake if, as a society, we are serious about tackling climate change.
Friends of the Earth’s Rights and Justice Centre is acting for John Stewart, Chair HACAN and Chair of AirportWatch, and Geraldine Nicholson, Chair of NOTRAG (No Third Runway Action Group).
See the report in Monday’s Guardian newspaper for the views of Joss Garman of Plane Stupid.
Topics: Aviation Industry, Stop Flying Stories, Topical |