LONDON, Feb 25 (KUNA) — British police have arrested a group of Greenpeace activists who climbed on top of an aeroplane after it landed at Londons Heathrow airport this morning, police said Monday.
The demonstration ended earlier today, just over an hour after the activists breached security to hang a banner on the tailfin of a Boeing 777 in protest against the airports proposed expansion.
The four protesters are now being held at the Metropolitan Polices Heathrow station, the police added.
Greenpeace said the group waited until all passengers had disembarked from a British Airways flight from Manchester, northern England, to Heathrow before climbing onto the roof of the plane.
The environmental group said it managed to dodge security simply by walking through double doors at the terminal, crossing an area of tarmac and climbing stairs on to the fuselage.
One protester Miss Sarah Shoraka said she was surprised how easily she and her three colleagues climbed on to the plane.
“We have exposed a hole in security but what we are trying to do is expose a hole in the argument for expanding Heathrow,” she told reporters.
The protest came two days before the end of a British Government consultation into Heathrow expansion. Greenpeace claimed the process of consultation was “fixed.” A spokeswoman for the British Airports Authority (BAA) said “There is an important debate to be had regarding airport expansion and BAA respects people’s democratic right to protest lawfully. However, direct action on the airfield is unlawful and irresponsible.” “The Government is currently consulting on the future of Heathrow Airport and all parties have the opportunity, through the proper democratic process, to make their views known,” she added.
Flights departing from and arriving to Terminal 1 remained unaffected by the incident, BAA said.