Plane Stupid Scotland shuts Aberdeen airport
Plane Stupid Scotland | 03.03.2009 07:36 | Climate Chaos
3rd March - Nine young protesters from the climate action group Plane Stupid Scotland have this morning shut down Aberdeen airport by setting up a golf course on the taxiway. They have surrounded themselves with fortified security fencing whilst another group are occupying the roof of the terminal building and have unfurled a banner reading, “Nae Trump Games with Climate Change”.
3rd March - Nine young protesters from the climate action group Plane Stupid Scotland have this morning shut down Aberdeen airport by setting up a golf course on the taxiway. They have surrounded themselves with fortified security fencing whilst another group are occupying the roof of the terminal building and have unfurled a banner reading, “Nae Trump Games with Climate Change”.
The peaceful protest began at 02.15am this morning whilst the runway was closed. Plane Stupid aims to prevent the scheduled reopening of the runway at 5am. The group intends to maintain its blockade for as long as possible to prevent the release of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
Photos available for download and media on our Flickr site: www.flickr.com/photos/planestupid. All photos licensed under Creative Commons.
The activists entered the runway by cutting the fence and scaled the roof climbing ladders. Dressed as Donald Trump, sporting wigs and golfing attire, with crazy golf clubs and balls, the group are ‘putting’ on the tarmac. The banner on the fencing erected by the group reads “Plane Stupid Scotland Golf Open 2009”.
Donald Trump is supporting the expansion of Aberdeen airport where his super-rich friends will arrive to play golf on his controversial golf course. BAA Aberdeen said they welcome Donald Trump's Golf Course. Like Alex Salmond, Trump wants to bulldoze over democratic opposition to environmentally damaging projects like airport expansion. Both Trump and BAA’s plans face fierce local opposition.
One of the activists on the taxiway, Jonny Agnew, 22, from Edinburgh, said:
“We have been failed by the generation of Donald Trump and Alex Salmond. Despite a catalogue of scientific reports warning them that they can’t keep on with aviation growth – even if that hinders their ability to jet in for a weekend of golf – they continue with disregard for all of us, who will end up dealing with the impacts of the climate crisis.”
He added:
“The reality is that our generation’s future is vanishing so that people like Donald Trump and his super-rich friends can jet into Aberdeen for a round of golf. The expansion of this airport just cannot go ahead."
Another, 24 year old Tilly Gifford, a social worker from Glasgow, said:
“Alex Salmond wants to let the Spanish shareholders of BAA, Donald Trump and his super-rich American friends concrete over Scotland and its efforts to stop runaway climate change.”
She added:
“Arctic ice is melting, the sea is already rising and experts warn the world’s rainforests could collapse. Our generation is already starting to feel these impacts as the warming kicks in so it’s obvious that it’s going to need to be us that urgently puts the brakes on expanding unnecessary airports.”
The campaigners chose to close Aberdeen after the Scottish government gave its backing to the expansion of capacity at the airport by 1.5 million passengers by 2015. Aviation is Britain's fastest growing source of emissions, already amounting to at least 13% of the UK's climate emissions.
With plans in the Scottish government’s ‘National Planning Framework’ for growth at Scottish airports including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen - as well as Heathrow and Stansted - experts from the Tyndall Centre for climate research say aviation policy alone will scupper any chance the UK has of hitting its climate targets.
25 year old Dan Glass, a community worker from Glasgow, said:
“We’re here to say it cannot happen, and our generation won’t let it happen. The scientists tell us we've got seven years to make emissions peak then drop, and if we fail, the people on this runway and their entire generation, and our children, willl live with the consequences. That's why we’re doing this.”
For more information/interviews:
Dan on 07507085963
Katie on 07786381674
For photos – www.flickr.com/photos/planestupid
The peaceful protest began at 02.15am this morning whilst the runway was closed. Plane Stupid aims to prevent the scheduled reopening of the runway at 5am. The group intends to maintain its blockade for as long as possible to prevent the release of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
Photos available for download and media on our Flickr site: www.flickr.com/photos/planestupid. All photos licensed under Creative Commons.
The activists entered the runway by cutting the fence and scaled the roof climbing ladders. Dressed as Donald Trump, sporting wigs and golfing attire, with crazy golf clubs and balls, the group are ‘putting’ on the tarmac. The banner on the fencing erected by the group reads “Plane Stupid Scotland Golf Open 2009”.
Donald Trump is supporting the expansion of Aberdeen airport where his super-rich friends will arrive to play golf on his controversial golf course. BAA Aberdeen said they welcome Donald Trump's Golf Course. Like Alex Salmond, Trump wants to bulldoze over democratic opposition to environmentally damaging projects like airport expansion. Both Trump and BAA’s plans face fierce local opposition.
One of the activists on the taxiway, Jonny Agnew, 22, from Edinburgh, said:
“We have been failed by the generation of Donald Trump and Alex Salmond. Despite a catalogue of scientific reports warning them that they can’t keep on with aviation growth – even if that hinders their ability to jet in for a weekend of golf – they continue with disregard for all of us, who will end up dealing with the impacts of the climate crisis.”
He added:
“The reality is that our generation’s future is vanishing so that people like Donald Trump and his super-rich friends can jet into Aberdeen for a round of golf. The expansion of this airport just cannot go ahead."
Another, 24 year old Tilly Gifford, a social worker from Glasgow, said:
“Alex Salmond wants to let the Spanish shareholders of BAA, Donald Trump and his super-rich American friends concrete over Scotland and its efforts to stop runaway climate change.”
She added:
“Arctic ice is melting, the sea is already rising and experts warn the world’s rainforests could collapse. Our generation is already starting to feel these impacts as the warming kicks in so it’s obvious that it’s going to need to be us that urgently puts the brakes on expanding unnecessary airports.”
The campaigners chose to close Aberdeen after the Scottish government gave its backing to the expansion of capacity at the airport by 1.5 million passengers by 2015. Aviation is Britain's fastest growing source of emissions, already amounting to at least 13% of the UK's climate emissions.
With plans in the Scottish government’s ‘National Planning Framework’ for growth at Scottish airports including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen - as well as Heathrow and Stansted - experts from the Tyndall Centre for climate research say aviation policy alone will scupper any chance the UK has of hitting its climate targets.
25 year old Dan Glass, a community worker from Glasgow, said:
“We’re here to say it cannot happen, and our generation won’t let it happen. The scientists tell us we've got seven years to make emissions peak then drop, and if we fail, the people on this runway and their entire generation, and our children, willl live with the consequences. That's why we’re doing this.”
For more information/interviews:
Dan on 07507085963
Katie on 07786381674
For photos – www.flickr.com/photos/planestupid
Plane Stupid Scotland
Homepage:
http://www.planestupid.com
Comments
Hide the following 18 comments
Nice one!
03.03.2009 11:12
Ms Anne Thropy
Why not pledge not to fly?
03.03.2009 15:13
That way it would be obvious that this young Tilly Gifford from Glasgow isn't the same young Tilly Gifford from Glasgow who flies out to India every year. That bad Tilly takes loads of Glasgow students with her to teach the evils of climate change to peasant Indian kids who are unlikely ever to fly themselves by er, making pretty mobiles, something I hope this good Tilly Gifford would condemn.
noFlier
To noFlier
03.03.2009 17:00
They like to make a big deal of telling the rest of us not to fly (which those of us with a sense of responsibility towards the environment already refrain from) whilst jetting off themselves. :/
noFlier also
Update: Arrests made around 8.20am
03.03.2009 18:56
A Grampian Police spokesperson said: "All nine people, five of whom are males and four of whom are females, have now been taken into police custody and the incident has been resolved peacefully. Grampian Police are currently working with the BAA to minimise the impact this incident has had."
Flights to and from the airport were temporarily suspended when the protest began at around 3.15am but later resumed at the time of the first arrests. Knock-on disruption to flights continued during the course of the day.
Members of Plane Stupid, who were dressed in the style of property tycoon Donald Trump, hung a banner across the front of the terminal building saying 'Nae Trump games with climate change'. Trump is backing the expansion of the airport following approval being granted for his £1bn golf project in Aberdeenshire by the Scottish Government.
flyer
Criticism and praise
03.03.2009 19:31
It reads like a good, safe action though so I applaud that aspect of it. The police guilt-tripping you out of there by saying a sick child was coming in by chopper was something you could have probably refused without risk of bad PR because helicopters don't land on taxiways, they land at helipads. The three Aberdeen helipads are closer to the main road than the taxiway. I assume after 6 hours you were just too cold to continue ( thermal underwear not tights especially up North).
noFlier
Class analysis
03.03.2009 19:37
Now, Plane Stupid Scotland activists have targeted Aberdeen airport, used by business men and well to do golfers. And what response follows - yet more stupid insults based around the claim that those involved are middle class!
Pathetic
What is pathetic
03.03.2009 19:46
You are prepared to ruin other peoples flights, which is a major investment for most poor people, but not your own flights. I know people from every political party and the ones who fly the most are the Greens. I know people from many different activist campaigns and the ones who fly the most are the P&P, Plane Stupid, Greenpeace activists. Perhaps that is just the people I know giving me a false impression but I've heard others making the same criticism and am prepared to name names if it comes to it. You haven't yet said if this is the same 24 year old Glaswegian Tilly Gifford who states on another website that she flies to India every year. This makes me cynical of claims that this is an environmental issue rather than a class issue.
Why not be explicit and campaign to kill the poor? After all, by killing all the poor people then the rich could fly without environmental worry.
noFlier
@noflier
03.03.2009 20:18
2. I won't pledge not to fly. I do fly and I don't do anti-aviation campaigning.
3. Since I am not involved with Plane Stupid I can't answer your question about Tilly.
4. Killing the poor would include me, I'd rather eliminate the rich.
What is pathetic are attempts to critique Plane Stupid or more generally campaigns against airport expansion on the basis of class.
It's slightly less pathetic to point out the apparent hypocrisy of one person within a campaign and imply that the whole campaign is therefore invalid.
Would you demand that campaigners against a road widening scheme make a pledge to never ride in an ambulance or use coach?
n
According to fact, you are wrong...
03.03.2009 20:32
I refer you to table 7 and 8 which clearly show that those from the lowest three socio-economic groups have actually *fallen* as a proportion of passenger numbers over the last 20 years. The huge increase (in real terms) in air travellers is from the middle classes which maintained their share of access. The real class issue here is that the disenfranchised and workers in our society still *do not* have access to air travel (no surprises there), which doesn't seem to be changing very fast (and certainly wont be going anywhere now). Also, the idea that air travel is key to enhancing social mobility seems to me to be quite flawed class-based analysis anyway.
mr numbers
Greenwashing by numbers
03.03.2009 21:48
No, but I would expect their spokesperson not to own a car. Similarly, you don't need to be a vegan to argue that eating less meat is good for the planet but I would expect an animal rights spokesperson to be at least vegetarian.
"this is a favourite claim of Brendann O'Neill of Spiked/Living Marxism"
What is a favourite claim? I attended a Living Marxism meeting (lecture) once, bunch of public school tossers who invited audience participation only to stifle real debate by strawman arguments and distraction like your post. Have another read at what I've written and then argue against what I've actually said.
I don't know where you draw the line between middle and upper class, but I'd say the 7% who attend public school are upper class and are responsible for the worst of worlds pollution. So I was being generous calling Plane Stupid a middle-class movement. Not many activists get invites to Downing Street for awards.
noFlier
boring bollocks, repeated comments, heard it all before blah blah
04.03.2009 00:13
Partly a fair point, but also unfair because eco-activists don't hold themselves up in general as paragons of virtue, but just people who try their best to strive for a better world for all. It's like the "you use a car, so you can't campaign against roads"/"wear leather..."/"shop.."/etc/blah arguments, which are very easy to make from the sidelines, but total bollocks.
But then in your later comments, you go way up your own arse.
> The people I know who fly most are Greens...
You need to get out more in that case!
> I assume after 6 hours you were just too cold to continue ( thermal underwear not tights especially up
> North).
how supportive of you! And your presumption that they don't know about weather/aren't from 'North'...
> Poor people use Aberdeen airport too you know.
Er, and so? Poorer people still - the other side of the world - are dying because of all our choices, and you're killing the chances of life of future generations. Climate chaos hits the poorest and most marginalised first, so if you're going to have a class analysis, make it a bit more sophisticated please!
> You are prepared to ruin other peoples flights, which is a major investment for most poor people, but
It also - along with other things - kills 150,000 people a year already, directly, according to the World Health Organisation. So which are you saying is more important.
> Why not be explicit and campaign to kill the poor?
Which is in effect what you are advocating by being an armchair criticiser. See the above.
> Greenwashing by numbers
But then, reading your last comment, it becomes clear you are just trolling for no good reason. I'm sure you'll come up with bullshit justifications, but they are just that. Go out into the streets and organise something different, rather than just dissing others for organising. The end.
strawman
Establishment dissent
04.03.2009 01:28
I know that is how you see yourselves, but in reality most of you are jet-setters and your leaders/founders are privileged rich kids with a lot of air miles under your belt. I forgive every public school kid who flys overseas for genuinely, self-honestly altruistic aims, but the upper class campaign against the poor should stop, you have common interests. The poor don't want to destroy the world but it isn't them who is really destroying it.
Some Reds and Greens have suggested dividing the current total of air-miles in a smaller percentage, then dividing those air-miles (carbon credits) equally. Many right wing anarchists suggest the same thing but some green-left anarchists would go futher and suggest carbon credits are not for sale any more than a vote is. If you don't vote, you can't sell your vote. If you don't use your air-miles allocation, you do't get any, travel is something to be saved up for. That is the same as the Greens saying 'If your house isn't insulated and you can't afford to then society will insulate it'. Admirable policy, but flunked through politics.
"Go out into the streets and organise something different, rather than just dissing others for organising."
Without criticism there is no true praise.
noFlier
Aberdeen airport and the working classes
04.03.2009 13:32
Even if it were an airport like Stansted which is mostly used by budget airlines, it is a total myth that those airlines are mostly used by the working classes. The people who can afford to take time off work and jet off for skying holidays in France, they are not this countries road sweepers, cleaners, refuse collectors, catering staff, delivery drivers etc. Most of the customers of budget airlines are the new middle classes, who until recently, were enjoying spending their disposable income on bigger flat screen TVs and multiple short break throughout europe.
Jo
Business class protestors
04.03.2009 14:43
Aberdeen is a richer city than most but to characterise everyone who flies from their as 'bankers and oil company executives' is insulting nonsense. I would bet the richest Aberdonian flyer is poorer than Joss Garman and probably flies less too. Probably more people fly from there than other airports because Aberdeen is so isolated the cost of flying compared to taking the train to a connecting flight is lower.
Besides, if you were wanting to hit the oil companies you would have blocked two out of the three helipads which taxi workers offshore, or even block the Shell office there that you must have passed to get to the airport.
"Most of the customers of budget airlines are the new middle classes, who until recently, were enjoying spending their disposable income on bigger flat screen TVs and multiple short break throughout europe."
You just made my point about snobbery better than I can. I take it none of the protestors families have TVs or have travelled to Europe? I suppose you all just go to the theatre and fly off to India and the Caribbean.
noFlier
@ noFlier
04.03.2009 22:16
No, but I would expect their spokesperson not to own a car. Similarly, you don't need to be a vegan to argue that eating less meat is good for the planet but I would expect an animal rights spokesperson to be at least vegetarian.”
As a (vegan) animal rights activist myself I would be surprised if you found many people who act as a spokesperson for animal rights groups who are not vegan.
However, to the point about an anti-road expansion campaign spokesperson, I would disagree an anti-road expansion campaign is not an anti-road campaign, so why shouldn’t a spokesperson own a car? If ‘reclaim the streets’ (whatever happen to them?) on the other hand owned a car it would seem very strange.
ARC
ARC pledge
05.03.2009 13:46
Strawman said flying kills 150,000 people a year which is presumably why the Plane Stupid people are motivated to sit in the freezing cold for hours and get arrested, just not commited enough not to fly themselves. Tilly can get to India on by train or bus, but she has one advantage when flying that few people have, she knows her flight isn't going to be delayed or cancelled due a Plane Stupid protest. I wonder what is the strongest pledge to cutting aviation emissions these nine protestors would all sign up to?
noFlier
Quick reply to some comments
05.03.2009 17:29
I can truthfully say that I do not currently fly, and have no intention of doing so in the future. Why you are so insistent on a "pledge" is beyond me, this seems arbitrary and petty. Of course we do not fly, it would be completely illogical to blockade a runway and then zoom off to Spain the next week. Also, I think that you’ll find that the people that fly most are business people on unnecessary short-haul flights. In Scotland, 60% of flights are within the UK and 30% are to London. One of PlaneStupid’s main remits is no short-haul flights and I think that it’s obvious from these figures it’s not “greens and P&Pers” who fly the most.
The comment on the Trump aspect being a red herring is completely unfounded. It is an un-democratic, environmentally damaging and economically draining project which is intrinsically linked to the planned airport expansion. If you want a detailed analysis I can send you some info, or just browse the web, it is pretty obvious.
On the comment of poor people using Aberdeen airport too, this is also completely unfounded, where are you finding your facts? If you look on the BAA Aberdeen website facts section, it shows that the income brackets of users of the airport are as follows: AB: 36%, C1: 49%, C2: 13%, DE: 2%. Hmmm.
Before I go just now, if you want to go naming names, then I would suggest “Trump.” He flies into Aberdeen in a private jet with TRUMP emblazoned on the side.
Johnny Agnew
@Jonathan
06.03.2009 09:08
No, it was a genuine comment partly informed by your blog saying there was a mix up about tights. Many winter actions have ended due prematurely to the North Sea wind, that wasn't a dig at you.
"Of course we do not fly, it would be completely illogical to blockade a runway and then zoom off to Spain the next week."
There must be two 24 year Mathilda Gifford's from Glasgow interested in Climate Change then, and the other one flies further than Spain.
"If you look on the BAA Aberdeen website facts section, it shows that the income brackets of users of the airport are as follows: AB: 36%, C1: 49%, C2: 13%, DE: 2%. Hmmm."
It also shows Aberdeen has the lowest AB travellers of any of the published airports so "Aberdeen airport is mostly used by rich commuters" is just not true, it is mostly used by C1C2, and AB use every other airport more.
Glasgow AB: 42%, C1: 38%, C2: 12%, DE: 8%.
Edinburgh AB: 37%, C1: 44%, C2: 9%, DE: 10%
Gatwick AB: 36.8%, C1: 41.3%, C2: 16.5%, DE: 5.4%
Southampton AB: 36.8%, C1: 41.3%, C2: 16.5%, DE: 5.4%
Aberdeen: AB: 36%, C1: 49%, C2: 13%, DE: 2%
* A Higher managerial. administrative and professional
* B Intermediate managerial, administrative and professional
* C1 Supervisory or clerical and junior managerial, administrative and professional
* C2 Skilled manual
* D Semi-skilled and unskilled manual
* E Casual labourers, state pensioners, the unemployed
"He flies into Aberdeen in a private jet with TRUMP emblazoned on the side. "
You never blocked his flight, you only managed to cancel a 'lifeline' flight to the Shetlands. None of your policies will stop Trump or the rich from flying, just poor people. You have just such bad press that you won't have done the Trump campaign any favours. This forum seems typically hostile -
noFlier