Residents around Frankfurt hold their 150th huge Monday evening protest against aircraft noise
On Monday 28th September, the 150th Monday evening protest against aircraft noise, due to the new runway, took place at Frankfurt airport. The new 4th runway was opened in October 2011, to the north west of the airport, and caused not only new flight paths but changes to existing flight paths. People had not been expecting the noise problem to be so bad. As soon as the runway opened, residents starting protesting against the noise – that was stopping them sleeping, reducing their quality of life, preventing them enjoying relaxing outside under flight paths, and reducing the prices of their homes. They started protests in the airport Terminal 1 (almost) every Monday evening. These are attended by between about 600 and 3,000 people. That is an astonishing achievement, and manifestation of real anger and determination by the thousands affected by plane noise. They are concerned now that the protests are seen to be becoming routine, and there is some appetite for more radical action, especially now that work is due to start very soon on a deeply opposed 3rd airport terminal. The style of protesting may perhaps now change. In German airport buildings are public property, so protesters are entitled to congregate in the terminal.
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Lots of great photos of the 150th Monday protest here
Fluglarm macht krank – means aircraft noise makes you ill.
Landebahn means runway.
Home Rhein-Main Aircraft noise opponents 150th at Frankfurt Airport
Original article in German here.
Approximate translation into English below (apologies for quality of translation !)
The aircraft noise opponents have gathered for the 150th protest evening at Frankfurt Airport. Everything went off peacefully, although there have been furious speeches. And many demonstrators tried it with irony.
by HELMUT SWAN, RHEIN-MAIN
29.9.2015
The 150th Monday demonstrations: Some of them have already more than a hundred evening protests there when we pulled in the airport Monday clamouring against this.
Four years after the commissioning of the north-west runway (October 2011) and a few days before the first sod is dug for the third passenger terminal, the opponents of the expansion of Frankfurt airport do not want to give up. They ensured this during their 150th “Monday demonstration”. Several times the protesters called for their old, unrealistic slogan “the runway has to go” (Die Landebahn muss weg).
Present were members of more than 80 citizens’ initiatives and noise-plagued residents from the wide area around the airport.
Consequences:
An estimated 1800 participants gathered at their regular place under the scoreboard in Hall B of Terminal 1; for the hundredth protest in May 2014. 3,000 came. In the overall balance which calls the police the number 157,000, according to the organizers since November 2011 met a total of about twice as many people to loudly proclaim their displeasure against the airport operator and the governments of varying persuasions.
Many protesters attempts irony
The speaker of the evening, the doctor, author and environmental activist Michael Wilk, called the Greens in the state government “Conversion By Winker”. He spoke angrily interrupted by applause, over profiteering and growth ideology that leave be “fatal injury” flight operations into one. But the airport was damaging not only to health, environment and climate, but is also the main hub for the deportation of refugees.
Expanded to eight cities: Frankfurt Aircraft Noise Commission grows
The Lord Mayor of Mainz, Michael Ebling (SPD) proposed, on the edge of a more moderate tone. They would not rest unless the airport operator Fraport brings peace, he said. Once again the delegation was comparatively large from his city. Some had made a large banner (“Stop the noise-terrorism”) displayed in front of the lectern, another of the Lerchenberg district tried to add irony to their protest; alluding to the controversial computation of aircraft noise after continuous sound had the flier “averaged over the year so silent as a fish. ” There were also shorter and simpler messages: A woman from Offenbach was wearing a red T-shirt with the word “peace”, a man from the district of Frankfurt Oberrad had the abbreviation for the new terminal building, T3, verballhornt with the sign of an impasse. Citizens in Nauheim see because of aircraft noise in caging, a man from Eddersheim called simply a “good night”.
Ordered new aircraft noise Commission
How long the Monday protests will continue at the airport remained an open question. By the end of the demonstrations are logged, but the organizers also want to go on when the support stops. In a song that was sung to set the mood, perhaps a clue was hidden: “Is the lid on it finally, we listen together to”, it says. Angespielt is a project of the Hessian Minister of Transport Tarek Al-Wazir (The Greens), to limit aircraft noise exposure. However, it is too early to predict how and when that can be enforced.
The Ministry reported at least one further pragmatic step: The Noise Abatement Commission has reorganized. In future, only those municipalities will belong to the body, which are in the noise protection area or have at least a hundred over flights per day at an altitude of less than 6,000 feet (1,800 meters)..
According to these criteria, some areas are added are (eg Gross-Zimmern, Ginsheim, Pfungstadt or Riedstadt.) Heusenstamm and the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis remain in the Commission, because they may be affected due to the further development around the airport of measures of sound insulation. Minister Al-Wazir noted that the work of the Commission have gained over the past few years.
More civil disobedience called for: 150th Monday demonstration at the airport: protest, which is a routine
29.9.2015
BY MICHELLE SPILLNER (Frankfurter Neue Presse)
the 150th anniversary have demonstrated opponents of the airport expansion in Terminal 1 of Frankfurt Airport on Monday evening.
The large influx of “Jubilee” provided an opportunity to renew the protest will. The Wiesbaden doctor Michael Wilk even demanded an intensification of protest.
Photo: Christian Christes1,300 people, the police last night counted against aircraft noise in the 150th Monday demonstrations of the Union of citizens’ initiatives. With Transparent they moved through the terminal. 1
With 600 it has begun, it was sometimes even 3,000 demonstrators, the number then decreased again. “Whether there are 500 or 1000, is not so important. More importantly, we are here every Monday, “relativized Thomas Schäffler, a spokesman for the alliance. This continuity must be preserved so that we continue to be the spanner in the works for the airport.
For the man to take note of, who has laid the foundation for the Monday demonstration. He now enters the podium to once again to pump energy, willpower, perseverance and courage in the mass. “It all ultimately started with Michael Wilk. He then talked to people and asked in Wiesbaden about a demo: Who is going to the terminal? And so it all started, “recalls Dietrich Elsner from Mainz, who has missed the Monday protests only three times. For him, the Monday night deadline is now routine.
More creativity
And therein Wilk sees the problem: “Our protest here at Frankfurt Airport is in danger of becoming a tolerated routine.” He wanted more creative resistance, he requested and the amount hailed the “If we do not do more than that. Monday demonstrations, they are the Terminal 3 by pulling more or less smoothly, “said Wilk, followed by boos and catcalls. A week before the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new terminal – the only there is propaganda in his opinion, because the construction work had already begun – he says: “Well did more civil disobedience, more confidence in their own strength.” Ignite his words, the protesters seem more motivated than ever, even if Wilk glossed over nothing: “Let’s make no mistake about it: The Northern Railway is in operation, the terminal 3, we will hardly prevent. “But it was not about winning or losing, but about the dynamic process, so that” we have a political function and are an important part of the political climate. Without us protesting, the concrete would flow faster. ”
Volume on the move
The airport do not only create noise, but it also pollutes the air, causes loss of woodland,and is bad for the environment as well as being a deportation airport, says Wilk. He cries out: “The runway must go – the western runway.”
Then the crowd starts moving, and it felt like 2,500 people drumming through the terminal. Forming before shopping Avenue an arena singing with Jochen Krauss song against the noise and clapping to the music of Dixieland Brass Band Frankfurt. A man pushes his loudspeaker system on a luggage trolley in front of him and sings about reinforced with. Airline passengers can hardly see. They take other routes.
Fascinated Asian tourists take pictures – even from the dead end sign Hartmanns. But they do not understand what is at stake. “Your welcome,” the tour guide stammers incoherently and escorts his group to airport check-in.
28.9.2015 (Op – online.de)
Frankfurt – The Monday demonstrations in Frankfurt Airport have become a permanent appointment. Today drag noise opponents 150th by the terminal 1, and you want to continue.
“We have yet to achieve some goals,” says Ina Hauck, spokeswoman for the expansion opponents: “We will continue to fight and are still going strong,” the anniversary demonstration around 1,000 participants were expected from throughout the region. Since 14 November 2011, Monday protestors gather at the airport and pull singing and whistling through the central departure terminal. A few weeks earlier, the new northwest runway was opened in spite of the protests in the region. Now stands before the construction of the controversial third terminal, and also on the other hand want the demonstrators protesting loudly. As the biggest successes the alliance of citizens’ groups sees the ban on night flights at Germany’s largest airport and the delay in the expansion plans
https://www.op-online.de/region/frankfurt/laermgegner-wollen-weitermachen-5570259.html