Black Lives Matter UK Shut Down 'Elite' London Airport

All flights were cancelled as a group of nine United Kingdom-based Black Lives Matter protesters managed to gain access to a London City Airport runway and lock themselves together on Tuesday morning.

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London Metropolitan Police dispatched officers to the scene. All nine protesters were arrested, according to the BBC.

In a series of posts on their official Twitter and Facebook pages,Black Lives Matter UK said the action was taken in order to "highlight the UK's environmental impact on the lives of black people locally and globally."

A statement said: "Whilst at London City Airport a small elite is able to fly, in 2016 alone 3,176 migrants are known to have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean.

"Black people are the first to die, not the first to fly, in this racist climate crisis.

"We note, however, that the UK is willing to charter special flights to remove black people from the country based on their immigration status."

The group have also released a video with the caption: “Climate Crisis is Racist Crisis. Cut emissions. Open border. #Shutdown.”

You can watch the video here:

In an official statement, BLM UK also said the protest had been organized in order to “highlight the UK's environmental impact on the lives of black people locally and globally.”

London City Airport is an “airport designed for the wealthy” in which the average salary of a user is “£92,000,” according to the group, while “40% of Newham’s population struggle to survive on £20,000 or less.”

London Metropolitan Police negotiating with the protesters | Source: @BLMUK

The statement continued: “By 2020 there will be 200 million climate refugees globally."

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BLM started in the United States as a reaction to fatal shootings of Black people by white U.S. police officers. The British arm is partly protesting against the disproportionate number of Black and other minority groups killed in police custody.

Last month, protesters from the group blocked a road to London’s world-famous Heathrow Airport. The group also held nationwide protests in early August to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2011 England Riots, which were sparked after a police officer fatally shot Mark Duggan.

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