Police have accused climate activists of staging a deliberate and criminal attack on UK infrastructure with a planned drone protest at Heathrow.
Scotland Yard chiefs warned activists from an Extinction Rebellion splinter group will be arrested if they fly drones near the airport without permission on Friday.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor suggested the stunt risked attracting would-be terrorists as well as serious safety concerns and disruption.
Heathrow Pause said they plan to break the law but are utterly committed to the principles of non-violence, transparency and accountability and to cooperating with the police as far as is possible.
A spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: We appreciate the police have a job to do – its their job to arrest us and we have no problem with them doing that.
He added: Their families are under threat [from climate change] along with everybody elses. Were all in this together.
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Heathrow Pause activists met with police yesterday, including Roger Hallam, widely known as the co-founder of Extinction Rebellion.
Hallam said: Ill be flying a drone at head height, some distance from Heathrow. Itll be 100 per cent safe and 100 percent illegal.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Taylor today said the group had not told police which areas they would target.
He added: As a result weve had to put a significant policing plan in place that drains resources from across the Metropolitan Police.
We shouldnt be having to put significant numbers to deal with unlawful activity when the protest could be done in a different way.
Taylor said officers had a robust plan in place to deal with illegal activity quickly and efficiently after studying last years drone disruption at Gatwick.
A range of counter-drone measures were available to officers, who will be covering the airport and the surrounding areas, he said.
He added: We are going to Read More – Source
