Just Stop Oil protesters have targeted Gatwick Airport’s southern terminal, only to find their efforts met with indifference and ridicule from travellers.
Seven supporters of the environmental activist group were seen seated at the departure gates, hoping to disrupt operations and raise awareness about the urgent need to halt fossil fuel usage.
A video accompanying their announcement on social media shows travelers nonchalantly stepping over the seated protesters, continuing their journey with minimal disruption.
The protest is part of a larger international movement organized by Just Stop Oil, aimed at pressuring governments worldwide to cease the extraction and burning of fossil fuels by 2030.
Just Stop Oil’s statement points to the severity of the climate crisis, as they highlight the devastating impacts of heat stress, drought, and rising sea levels.
“It’s time for a plan to stop burning oil, gas and coal. Failure to do so is a death sentence for millions of people already facing heat stress and drought in the global south”, they wrote.
“An act of war on island states like Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Antigua that have backed calls for a treaty to end fossil fuels — but face being wiped off the map by rising seas.”
The protest sparked mocking and angry reactions on social media, with one user commenting on X: “This didn’t seem very effective…”, while another said: “I think I speak for the vast majority. Get lost.”
A Sussex polie spokesperson said: “Police responded to a report that protesters were demonstrating near the security entrance at the South Terminal in Gatwick Airport at around 8am today (July 29).
“Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of interfering with public infrastructure, and a heightened police presence should be expected at this time.The airport is functioning as usual, and no disruption has been caused by protest activity.”
The group also called for the UK government to support a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and enforce a complete end to fossil fuel usage by 2030.
“We’ve just had the hottest three days on earth in recorded history and possibly for hundreds of thousands of years”, one of the protesters, Mel Carrington, 63, a former environmental consultant from Dorset, said.
“Innocent people around the world already face extreme weather and deadly heat and no one is prepared for the societal collapse that unchecked global heating will bring.
“I’m terrified of what it will mean for my family and friends when there are widespread crop failures, food shortages and economic meltdowns. It will mean the breakdown of law and order, the end of the NHS and the loss of everything we depend on.”
