Hundreds of people have âdropped deadâ at Londonâs Heathrow airport in a series of mass demonstrations against climate change and airport expansion.
The protest on Saturday afternoon saw a mass bicycle âblockadeâ as well as hundreds of activists wearing gas masks lying in a terminal to protest against airport expansion.
The campaigners from the global group Reclaim The Power covered the floor of a section of the terminal, wearing masks âto highlight the climate and pollution impacts of aviationâ.
The âStay Groundedâ action is calling for no new runways or expansion of aviation capacity anywhere in the UK, and for the industry to be bound by climate change regulations.
Reclaim the Power is calling for a tax on frequent flyers to fund greater investment in âclimate-friendlyâ transport.
Some spoke to passengers about the effects of climate change and air travel, while a simultaneous âcritical massâ bike ride took place around the airport.
The group is sharing its protest using the hashtags #StayGrounded and #StopAviationExpansion, ahead of the Governmentâs decision on growing Londonâs airport capacity this month.
The protesters also set up a âFrequent-fliers-high-polluters clubâ stand with champagne in the airport:
Reclaim the Power said âhundredsâ of riders took part in a ride wearing jumpsuits outside the airport to raise awareness of their cause.
The bike ride includes a stop at the nearby Harmondsworth Detention Centre âto highlight the impact of climate change and forced migration,â the demonstrators said.
It told HuffPost UK it would also make use of the âred linesâ motif used in other demonstrations to signal that âa livable climate is a red line weâre prepared to defend.â
The action is part of a series of anti-aviation demonstration around the world during the UNâs ICAO conference looking at the emissions impact of air travel.
On Friday morning Theresa May announced that she has enough cabinet support to press ahead with expanding Heathrow airport.