Just Stop Oil activists held yet another airport protest this morning as they tried to block the security screening zone at London Heathrow ‘s Terminal Five.
A group of demonstrators sat or stood holding signs saying ‘oil kills’ and ‘sign the treaty’ in front of the barriers to enter the area for departing passengers.
But they were dragged away by police officers in yet another foiled attempt by the environmental group to unleash a ‘summer of chaos’ at airports across Europe.
Heathrow officials later confirmed all the protesters were ‘swiftly’ removed and there was no disruption or damage. There did not appear to be any impact on flights.
It comes after a protest on Tuesday saw two Just Stop Oil activists arrested after they sprayed orange paint on departure boards at Heathrow’s Terminal Five.
Among them was Phoebe Plummer, a 22-year-old activist who was already awaiting sentencing for throwing soup at a Vincent van Gogh painting at the National Gallery in 2022 – and has now been remanded to HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Surrey.
Tuesday’s Heathrow protest followed another at London Gatwick Airport on Monday when eight Just Stop Oil supporters were arrested for blocking departure gates.
Activists have targeted airports in recent days in the campaign named ‘Oil Kills’. Just Stop Oil said 21 groups across 12 countries have taken action at 18 airports so far.
This morning, a Heathrow spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Earlier this morning a protest incident in Terminal 5 was swiftly resolved and all involved were immediately removed from the airport.
‘Unlawful and irresponsible protest activity is not the way forward and will not be tolerated.
‘Our priority will always be to maintain the safety of passengers and colleagues, and we’ll continue to work closely with our partners and the police in taking proportionate action to protect travel plans this summer.’
It followed a protest at Heathrow on Tuesday which saw Plummer and fellow activist Jane Touil, 58, arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.
Just Stop Oil confirmed yesterday that both had appeared in court and been remanded to HMP Bronzefield.
On Tuesday, the duo sprayed orange paint from large cylinders on departure boards, floors and glass walls inside Terminal 5.
A video issued by Just Stop Oil showed Plummer and Touil carrying out the protest near check-in desks for at least three minutes and 55 seconds without being approached by police officers or airport staff.
That incident happened just five days after Plummer and another activist, Anna Holland, also 22, were found guilty of criminal damage at Southwark Crown Court after throwing tinned soup over Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers at London‘s National Gallery in October 2022.
Prosecutors said they caused as much as £10,000 worth of damage to the artwork’s frame.
On Monday, Just Stop Oil supporters who blocked departure gates at Gatwick were arrested and removed.
Seven people entered the South Terminal at around 8am and ‘used suitcases with lock-on devices to block the departure gates’, Just Stop Oil claimed.
A video shared by the group showed the protesters sitting on the floor inside the airport, blocking an entrance. But passengers with suitcases appeared to step over the activists and continue with their journeys.
Sussex Police said eight people had been arrested over the incident.
On Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said: ‘We recognise the democratic right of people to peacefully express their views, but obviously they should do so within the bounds of the law.
‘And clearly being seen to significantly disrupt people’s summer holidays is no way of winning people around to your cause.’
Elsewhere in London on Monday, environmental protesters caused criminal damage and blocked access to the office building of the think tank Policy Exchange on Old Queen Street in Westminster.
One person was arrested for criminal damage. The members of Extinction Rebellion held banners bearing the words ‘Policy Exchange – cut the ties to fossil fuels’.
Leaflets given out at the demonstration listed the group’s demands, including ‘full and open disclosure’ of where funding for the think tank comes from, increased transparency of Policy Exchange meetings with MPs and government departments, and the removal of charitable status for ‘any lobby group’ that receives money from ‘big oil and gas’.
The group poured pools of black liquid outside the Policy Exchange building alongside a yellow sign reading ‘Caution: slippery with the truth’.
Last week, 10 Just Stop Oil activists suspected of planning to disrupt Heathrow Airport were arrested. None of the activists were able to get into the airport, the Metropolitan Police said.
Mel Carrington, 63, a mother and former environmental consultant from Dorset, and Greg Sculthorpe, a mathematician from Doncaster, were said to be among the activists involved at Gatwick.
Earlier this month, the airport became the latest major airport to secure a High Court injunction in an attempt to stop would-be environmental activists trespassing on its land after receiving police intelligence over protest plans.
Timothy Morshead KC, representing Gatwick at the hearing, said such action could cause ‘severe disruption and financial loss’ and ‘significant delays for passengers’.
