Aviation strikes: Direct action at Heathrow, City and Stansted

Abstract

People involved in actions at Heathrow, City and Stansted airports reflect on the development of climate justice narratives and how this has evolved over the three 'aviation strikes' at these airports. At the time of the Heathrow action, the focus was on the impact of the aviation industry on the environment, to which Plane Stupid was seeking to draw attention. The City action became a Black Lives Matter action, with the aim of making connections between race and climate change. The Stansted action was organised by a coalition of groups, including Plane Stupid and Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants (LGSM), and sought to prevent the take-off of a deportation plane. Activists describe their own political development as these narratives shifted over time. They also discuss Extinction Rebellion, which aims to make direct action a mass participation event, and more local actions, such as the anti-raids action in Glasgow in summer 2021.