Two activists from the environmental group Just Stop Oil have been arrested at London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) after spraying orange paint over Terminal 5. Footage of the incident, which occurred on the morning of July 30, 2024, was widely shared on social media by environmental groups and travelers.
Two protestors, Phoebe Plummer (22) and Jane Touil (58), entered the airport’s Terminal 5 at around 8:35 local time. The protestors sprayed paint on the entrance hall and proceeded to spray the departure boards, windows, floors, and walls of Terminal 5. Local police and security services arrived on the scene within minutes and blocked off the area. "People around the world are rising up to demand an end to oil by 2030," Plummer said before she was taken by the police.
"Ordinary people have to stand up and make their governments do the right thing, because, without pressure from us, they won’t," Touil added. "I feel so angry and betrayed that politicians have let this happen when they’ve known about climate breakdown for over 50 years." Airport officials reported that the airport is continuing to operate as usual, and passengers are traveling as planned.
"We are in full agreement that the aviation industry needs to decarbonize, but unlawful and irresponsible protest activity is not the way forward and will not be tolerated," a spokesperson for London-Heathrow said in a statement. Climate activists have repeatedly targeted airports around the world in recent days, in a campaign named Oil Kills. Just Stop Oil said 21 groups across 12 countries have taken action at 18 airports so far.