London airport protestor glues himself to jet's roof
By Steve Creedy Fri Oct 11, 2019
A visually-impaired Paralympian climbed on to a British Airways jet and glued himself to the roof as part of an Extinction Rebellion protest at London City Airport.
The protest failed to significantly disrupt flights and management said the airport remained fully operational throughout the day with just two services canceled.
Paralympian medallist James Brown filmed himself clinging to the plane and berating authorities about the lack of action on climate change and airport expansion.
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The BBC said Brown spent an hour on the roof complaining it was scary because he hated heights, felt cold and hoped they would get down soon.
Police described the action as “reckless, stupid and dangerous” and arrested a second activist as she filmed the incident.
A tweeter, Jonathan Mew, posted a picture of Brown sitting astride the BA plane and joked “Not sure he’s got the right seat number”.
Another protestor on an Aer Lingus plane refused to sit in his seat, delaying the flight by about two hours.
BBC staffer Nicholas Watt tweeted: “Cabin crew calmly and very politely asked protestor to resume his seat.
“Politely but persistently he declined and proceeded to deliver his lecture on climate change in aisle.
“Some passengers annoyed, others listened to lecture with humour as cabin crew alerted pilot.”
Police said both protestors had tickets and were legitimate passengers.
About 50 people were arrested during the airport protest London City Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair thanked passengers for their patience and police for their professionalism.
Sinclair said he was working with police to ensure passengers late Thursday and Friday had a safe and secure service.
However, he advised passengers traveling Friday to check the status of their flight and airline before traveling to the airport.
An airport spokesman said the facility had already reduced emissions by 30 percent over five years and was committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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