Gatwick Airport Closure - Environmental action?

[Silurian]

Gatwick Airport south of London has been closed since 900 last night due to drones repeadily flying nearby.

 

[Hrothbern]

Some environmental group was also my first thought.

The damage to health where I live because of fine dust from airplanes is pretty high, the amount of carbon footprint reduction from a whole scala of household actions is nullified by that one flight to a sunny holiday destination, etc, etc.

This kind of actions, not risking the lifes of passengers, but disrupting the tourists waiting in the airport, is typical non-violent civil disobedience from cells.
You can also use 60 second loctite all purpose glue on locks, doors, etc (not on emergency doors).

Let's face it... awareness of the broad masses how bad tourism by airplanes is, is highly inconvenient for the broad masses, just like with meat eating. And inconvenient for GDP growth orientated governments, hesitating to touch or make plans for such hot potatoes.

 

[Kyriakos]

It will get worse once the Tripods appear...

 

[Live trash can]

This kind of action works with me at least. It makes me aware of the problem. It's a little bit like in Tour de France this year where peasants I think halted the race for a few minutes. They were protesting some kind of political actions taken by the local government.

Doing this in Christmas, I find it interesting and quite bold! If indeed it is an environmental action.

 

[warpus]

It makes people aware of the problem, but it also alienates thousands of potential allies who might now be late for Christmas eve or whatever. And could be dangerous?

Having said that, I haven't read enough about this to really form a solid opinion. Those are my first initial thoughts

 

[Commodore]

but it also alienates thousands of potential allies who might now be late for Christmas eve or whatever.

Exactly. This kind of protest action (if this is indeed what it is) reeks of self-righteousness and entitlement that a lot of activists have. The mentality that you have a right to disrupt society and cause distress to large numbers of people just because you feel you have a point to make is what keeps a lot of protest movements from gaining widespread sympathy and support from the general public.

 

[Live trash can]

It makes people aware of the problem, but it also alienates thousands of potential allies who might now be late for Christmas eve or whatever.

I think it is bold indeed! What I have seen in news of this and similar cases is that the "victims" are more positive towards it than I would have thought. But that is based on just a few testimonies.

It is difficult to gain supporters. So I doubt that it does much damage to the cause.

And who wants to spend the whole holiday being angry, you know? Meaning that the victims focus on the positive.

 

[warpus]

The mentality that you have a right to disrupt society

I mean, that's pretty much the most effective protest action you can perform. It works well if done right. In Poland we disrupted society while trying to oust the communists. Completely different scenario of course, but disrupting society is sort of what protests are all about in the first place. Otherwise it's not a protest but a gathering of people with signs who nobody will care about the next day.

Of course I am not sure that this was safe and all in this case. So I'm not saying that this was necessarily a good idea

 

[Live trash can]

I suppose they must have had indepth knowledge of airports and what rules apply for airspace. Or they were just following a hunch. Which seems kind of risky.

 

[Kyriakos]

I am surprised that drones aren't used in more crime. Personally id make a 3d map of the house of the victim, guess the usual location of valuables and use the drone to steal them. Lifting coats should be mostly easy (with cash inside).

 

[Live trash can]

They would not need much knowledge of the airport. There are always plane spotters at the ends of the runway, so they could easily go on you tube and down load a videos taken of the planes taking off. At the east end is a major road as well.

Wouldn't they need to know what behavior constitutes a risk towards the airplanes and stuff like that? If they just randomly flew their drones towards the airplanes they would risk to much. But they could perhaps have flown them where they thought they would be considered a risk but not a real threat to the planes. I just would think that if it is an environmental action they would be prepared so as to not risk lives or getting caught.

Unless they are environmentalists "on steroids" - and couldn't care less for the safety of anyone!

 

[Live trash can]

So are you saying the drones could be some ways away from the airport? In the nearby area?

 

[Hrothbern]

IF... if it would be an environmental activist cell action... I think it is time to stop.
It got all over the world news attention, great, but as it is NOT an civil disobedience by masses of people, nor was it taken up that way, by newsmedia or people in the streets, I think it is better to stop this one.

BTW there was today an environmentalists action in London, where the HQ of BBC was blocked with the demand that the BBC should make environment the top editorial priority.
The background is for sure that the BBC gave much more time to Climate denialists than many would expect of a Quality newsmedium.

Extinction Rebellion also organised protests on Friday at BBC offices in Bristol, Glasgow, Cambridge, Birmingham, Truro, Sheffield, Bangor, and the broadcaster’s Berlin bureau.
The campaign group launched two months ago, with a declaration of support from public figures including the former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who backed a campaign of civil disobedience to draw attention to the threat of climate and ecological change.
Since then, Extinction Rebellion activists have blocked bridges and glued themselves to the gates of Downing Street, earning media attention that has allowed the campaign to spread to 35 overseas countries.
The BBC has been criticised for its coverage of climate change, especially the decision to give airtime to climate change sceptics such as Lord Lawson, who oppose the scientific consensus. Earlier this year, the head of news, Fran Unsworth, told staff that the corporation had struggled with the topic: “Climate change has been a difficult subject for the BBC, and we get coverage of it wrong too often.”
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2...imate-change-campaigners-extinction-rebellion

 

[EnglishEdward]

IF... if it would be an environmental activist cell action... I think it is time to stop.

Thank you for not making assumptions.

It is completely unclear to me whether it is environmentalists, ISIS supporters or Russians demonstrating capability, speculators
short selling the owners of Gatwick airport or deperate Remoaners rehearsing their enforcement of a no fly zone on Exit day.

 

[Kyriakos]

Russians? Drones are freely sold. Or do you claim that those drones were hacked? (it is known that all hacking is done by russians; that is a main school course there ).

 

[uppi]

I suppose they must have had indepth knowledge of airports and what rules apply for airspace. Or they were just following a hunch. Which seems kind of risky.

It doesn't take much more than a map and some intelligence to figure out where to put drones so that they get the airport shut down but do not risk an actual collision with a plane.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Russians? Drones are freely sold. Or do you claim that those drones were hacked? (it is known that all hacking is done by russians; that is a main school course there ).

It was obviously a Remoaner drone, funded by Soros and Hacked by Putin!

 

[Kyriakos]

It was obviously a Remoaner drone, funded by Soros and Hacked by Putin!

A harvester of soros.

 

[Bamspeedy]

What I have seen in news of this and similar cases is that the "victims" are more positive towards it than I would have thought. But that is based on just a few testimonies.

And that is based on the viewpoints of those the media decided to show you. Out of the thousands of people from cancelled flights, it's hard to get a true feeling of what the victims really felt from a dozen people, when the media can just leave out the interviews they don't like (understandably an obscenity filled response will be left out).

 

[AmazonQueen]

I am surprised that drones aren't used in more crime. Personally id make a 3d map of the house of the victim, guess the usual location of valuables and use the drone to steal them. Lifting coats should be mostly easy (with cash inside).

Apparently they have been used in getting drugs into prisons. Makes you wonder has alert our prison warders are if that actually works.