'They are growing fast and are prepared to act'

John Vidal, environment editor
The Guardian, Tuesday December 9 2008

Plane Stupid, the group behind yesterday's Stansted protest, is the fastest growing wing of the broad environmental movement, picking up activists across Britain as they emulate Greenpeace and the roads protesters of the mid-1990s in stunts and demonstrations.
In three years, Plane Stupid activists have blocked the runway at East Midlands airport, blockaded the offices of travel agents, airline and airport companies, occupied the roofs of parliaments in London and Edinburgh, and disrupted conferences in an attempt to draw attention to the lack of political and corporate action on climate change.
One man superglued himself to the prime minister, Gordon Brown, and others have demonstrated at Heathrow, Gatwick and other airports. The group has also blasted aircraft noise through the letterbox of the former transport secretary Ruth Kelly.
The group has no membership, leaders or constitution, but works in geographical cells with the name Plane Stupid a "virtual" umbrella network which can be used by any climate change activist wanting to take direct action against the growth of air transport and expansion of airports.
Earlier this year the police estimated there were about 400 climate activists in Britain but this is thought to be a major underestimation as a broad movement of climate change protesters emerges. Plane Stupid activists are closely linked to and regularly cross over with the other climate change protesters, including groups such as Leave it in the Ground, the Camp for Climate Action, Rising Tide, Climate Rush, and Campaign against Climate Change.
In the last year two open cast coal mines and Kingsnorth power station have been shut down briefly and a coal train going to Drax power station in Yorkshire was hijacked.
According to Joss Garman, one of the three students who set up Plane Stupid in 2005 but who now works for Greenpeace, the majority of the people taking part in the Stansted demonstration were new to environmental protest, with many still at university. "I have no idea who they all are. This was a new generation of Plane Stupid [at Stansted]. There were one or two road activists but I have no idea who most were except they are nearly all under 25.
"Greenpeace has been the main inspiration of what we do. They are the pros," said Garman, who added yesterday that he had played no part in the Stansted demonstration and that the environment group did not help Plane Stupid either financially or logistically.
The group, said Garman, was funded mainly by individuals sympathetic to the green movement and a few organisations. Mark Constantine, the head of Lush cosmetics, has funded some of its work and many of Plane Stupid's funders are wealthy west London opponents of the expansion of Heathrow.
"Climate change activists are in general articulate, bright and scientifically literate. What should worry the authorities is that this was one of the largest actions they have attempted and they are growing fast. They know how high the stakes are and they are prepared to act."
Leading voices in the movement include Garman, Plane Stupid co-founder Graham Thompson, who also works with Greenpeace, and Leo Murray, the grandson of Labour MP Anthony Greenwood. Others include Cambridge University-educated trainee priest Tamsin Omond, who occupied the roof of Westminster.
Group's stunts
November 28 2005: Three activists release balloons with personal alarms during speech by British Airways executive at an aviation conference
September 24 2006 25 activists block runway at East Midlands for four hours
October 8 2007 Dozens blockade check-in at Manchester where they handcuff themselves for three hours
February 27 2008 Parliament rooftop protest
July 4 2008 Demonstrators play 56 decibel noise outside Ruth Kelly's flat