Heathrow Black Lives Matter protest: Nine people who blocked major airport route found guilty of wilful obstruction

On 5th August 2016 a group from “Black Lives Matter” blocked the M4 southbound spur road from junction 8 from around 8am. The road did not fully reopen until 12.30pm, causing a lot of traffic delays.  At the road block, four of the protesters held a large black banner which said ‘This is a Crisis’ while six others formed a human chain on the ground, linking arms together using hollowed fire extinguishers filled with wire mesh and concrete. The activists were at Willesden Magistrates’ Court for their trial, at which 9 out of the 10 protesters were found guilty of wilful obstruction and ordered to pay fines.  They were all ordered to pay between £261 and £523 in fines, according to Hodge Jones & Allen, the law firm representing them.  Another protester had already accepted a caution. The protesters hoped that their protest got media attention and raised awareness of the issues – Heathrow’s 3rd runway will contribute to causing damage to health through both air pollution and carbon emissions.  One defendant commented: “If people want to challenge us for causing a one-hour inconvenience, surely they’ll want to challenge a system that sees families wait over 20 years for justice?” Black Lives Matter is an international movement set up in the US.
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Heathrow Black Lives Matter protest: Nine people who blocked major airport route found guilty of wilful obstruction

Nine out of the 10 protesters, who were arrested following the incident on the M4 southbound spur road to the airport, were found guilty of wilful obstruction and ordered to pay fines

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20 JAN 2017 (Get Surrey)

Nine Black Lives Matter protesters who caused “utter chaos” when they blocked a major road leading to Heathrow Airport have been found guilty of wilful obstruction of the highway.

The demonstrators chanted ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘If they do not give us justice, we won’t give them peace’ when they blocked the M4 southbound spur road on August 5 last year , Willesden Magistrates’ Court heard.

The route leading to the busy airport was blocked from junction 8 from around 8am and did not fully reopen until 12.30pm.

Four of the protesters held a large black banner which said ‘This is a Crisis’ while six others formed a human chain on the ground, linking arms together using hollowed fire extinguishers filled with wire mesh and concrete.

The nine people on trial, who said they were Black Lives Matter campaigners, had denied wilfully obstructing the highway.

The defendants were Sita Balani, 29, of Southwark, south-east London; Liam Barrington-Bush, 32, and Aditi Jaganathan, 27, both of Tottenham, north London; Ewa Jasiewicz, 38, of Tower Hamlets, east London; Naomi Mabita, 23, from Manchester; Aadam Muuse, 24, of no fixed address; Alison Playford, 38, of Greenford, Middlesex; Joshua Virasami, 26, of Hounslow, west London; and Mark Weaver, 36, of Beverley, East Yorkshire.

They were all ordered to pay between £261 and £523 in fines, according to Hodge Jones & Allen, the law firm representing them.

Another protester, Taylor Offoh, 20, of Penge, south-east London, had already accepted a caution.

Speaking after the conviction, Virasami said: “The media is reporting about Black Lives Matter and racism in our country today because protest works. This protest worked.

“A conversation around the violence of institutional racism has been reignited, but a simple conversation is never enough.”

Co-defendant Mabita said: “If people want to challenge us for causing a one-hour inconvenience, surely they’ll want to challenge a system that sees families wait over 20 years for justice?”

Raj Chada, who represented the activists, said they were “disappointed in the verdict” but that the focus should remain on the issues they were protesting about.

Arresting officer Sergeant Christopher Jackson told the court: “It was utter chaos, to be honest. The first thing my attention was drawn to was a huge amount of stationary traffic on the southbound lanes.

“People were out of their cars shouting at the protesters who were in the road, and the people laying on the floor.

“There were people who seemed to know the protesters but were not involved in it stood on the side of the road.

“Members of the public were angry and shouting at the protesters.”

Black Lives Matter is an international movement set up in the US following the killing of black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida in February 2012.

It began as a way to unite the African-American community to campaign against violence and alleged systematic racism towards black people.

The protest marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black man who was shot dead by police in Tottenham, north London, sparking riots across England.

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/heathrow-black-lives-matter-protest-12480814

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Black Lives Matter protesters chain themselves to road near Heathrow sparking travel chaos for holidaymakers

By TOM POWELL  (Evening Standard)

5.8.2016

Black Lives Matter protesters chained themselves to tarmac this morning blocking a key route leading to Heathrow airport at the height of the summer holiday season.

Ten people have been arrested after police arrived to break up the road block, with four taken to a police station and the other six still chained to each other at the scene.

The campaign group is calling for a nationwide “shutdown” today to raise awareness of the movement, with similar demonstrations in Nottingham and Birmingham.

The small group of protesters caused huge tailbacks on the Tunnel Road East approach road from the M4 into Heathrow, after setting up the road block at the roundabout next to the Park Inn.

They unfurled a large banner with the words “This is a crisis” daubed on it. Several of the protesters chained their arms together and lay down on the tarmac.

Drivers were able to go through a narrow gap at one side of the roadblock but the protest has already sparked severe delays.

The protest marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old who was shot dead by police in Tottenham.

Similar demonstrations have taken place across the country, including Birmingham and Manchester, while all tram lines have been shut down in Nottingham city centre due to protests.

Police officers made several arrests st the scene, and also directed traffic to Terminal 5 instead where they were transferred.

“Police were called at 08:25hrs on Friday, 5 January to the M4 slip road, Heathrow Airport,” said a Met spokesman.

“A number of people were reported to be blocking the road leading to the airport.

“Officers have attended. A number of people have been arrested.

“One lane has been opened, but there is traffic congestion.”

The Black Lives Matter movement began in the U.S, uniting the African-American community to campaign against violence and an alleged systematic racism towards black people.

Regular protests have taken place around the deaths of black people killed by law enforcement officers.

More protests are planned throughout the day, with another in London expected to take place at 6pm in Altab Ali park near Aldgate East station.

…….. and it goes on …… at length  ….

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/black-lives-matter-protesters-chain-themselves-to-road-near-heathrow-sparking-travel-chaos-for-a3312516.html

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