Let’s connect some dots.
December 8: More than fifty members of a British “direct action” pressure group called “Plane Stupid” invade London’s Stansted Airport, staging a sit-in on the runways because they’re angry about the implications of planned airport expansion on global warming. They succeed in shutting down the airport. Thousands of passengers are stranded.
Lots of 20-somethings are arrested. One organizer tells The Guardian that arrests just brought them the attention they craved: “We were really, really happy as we were getting arrested … as we got more and more information about the amount of coverage, we were really elated.” Analysts predict more “airport incursions.” Commentators in London are not amused.
December 9: London’s Daily Mail reports that Lush, a “natural cosmetics” company that boasts of giving away all the profits from the sale of a few items to charity, includes Plane Stupid on its list of charitable recipients. The Mail writes that Lush’s overall contributions to anti-aviation groups total around £20,000. Lush president Mark Constantine promises to pay the bail and “some of the court costs” for every arrested protester.
Lush customers – some of whom were not aware the store was funding the protest group – are faced with uncomfortable evidence that their money may well have helped fund the activists who cut their way in at 3.15am on Monday morning, forcing the airport to shut one of its runways.
Thousands of passengers were left stranded, and as more arrived, queues formed which snaked around the terminal building.
‘I’ve run out of milk for my baby,’ said one waiting mother. It’s just horrendous what they are doing.’
Another female passenger was forced to miss her father’s funeral because of her cancelled flight.
Here’s where I’m going with this: Lush has 600 stores in at least 38 countries. Do you think they could move a single tub of body butter from Point A to Point B without a robust aviation system?
You want to make a statement about climate change? Fine. Put your money where your mouth is — and I don’t mean bailing out a bunch of protesters. Close some stores. Go back to moving merchandise on pack mules. Better yet, just stop conducting commerce entirely. Turning a profit creates carbon dioxide, you know. It must be stopped.
December 12: The Daily Mail reports that some of Lush’s retail shops are in airports. One Labour MP had this nice, taut summary: “It seems hypocritical to fund groups that campaign against the expansion of airports while using the retail opportunities that come about through the use of those airports.”
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Yep, tools exist in other countries too. That Lush dude proved it.
Idiots.
How about funding an activist group that promotes the use of technology to improve transportation efficiency and emissions…
oh wait, the lot of ‘em probably don’t have two brain cells to rub together. Wire cutters are about as technical as they get.
My questions: who dumber?
a) the protesters?
b) the idiot stick that runs Lush?
c) Lush consumers?
I was gonna call “Lush” and its founder idiots too. But then I realized there are people that buy bath products in airports.
Well, well, well…
Looks like the “Lush” company need a spanking; what about having airports boycotting them? They are messing with their business, right? If they are a tad honest, they will ship their stuff by boat.
As far as the whole “Carbon Footprint” goes, it’s only the new protest fad for rebels without a concrete cause. The barrel of crude oil at 140$US apiece did more for the environment than those protesters. But, hey, there’s no better way to get credibility than frustrating thousands of travelers in airports, right?
I hate those kids and the morons who enable them.
Protesters did the same thing in Thailand to bring about a change in the leadership of their country. Meanwhile, in the civilized western world, they shut down an airport to … bring attention to themselves?
These young people should stop breathing to reduce their carbon footprints.
I live ten minutes from Stansted airport. This protest managed to do one thing, and that one thing is piss people off. There was a person who missed their father’s funeral because of this fu**ery.
Honestly, if this is the attention they want, then I am happy to tear down any of the signs they put up around my neighborhood about stopping Stansted’s planned expansion. This is the airport that my mother in law uses to come visit from Portugal, and the airport I hope to be able to use to visit my folks in the States once they do expand.
I hate that they managed to get on the runway without being shot on sight. It scares me that they weren’t, because that’s what anyone trespassing on a runway deserves in this day and age.
As for Lush, never bought their stuff and never will now. I am making it a point to discourage anyone from using Lush products.
Rocko,
Let’s not stop at these stupid people. Let’s take it one step further…everyone who wants to help P.E.T.A., any Lush cause, or any politician please do not breathe for one week. Your participation in this boycot will help the enviroment more than you understand.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Lisa, I will be more than happy to help these people in their endeavours to not breathe.
Seriously, I am in Stansted proper a lot, and Plane Stupid is always putting flyers all over the place, which makes me wonder why they hate trees so much. I was sick of seeing their flyers make a pretty little town ugly, but since this happened, I am so thoroughly disgusted, as are a lot of us local types, that it’s now a mission for me to tear down their signs.
Well it seems that these protesters are happy that they were arrested. Now let’s see if the local courts can make them ecstatic by conviction each and every one of them of the Felony that they committed. Fine them all convict them and give them jail time. Oh and if they leadership of Lush is part of aiding and abetting criminal activity then they also should be charged and convicted, shut down their stores in the airports and see how they like helping the climate by going out of business.
As a former road warrior, this fills me with all sorts of rage. Being stuck at an airport for any reason sucks. Because some adorable 20 somethings are trying to make a point makes me homicidal. Lush can consider me a former customer.
Buying bath and beauty products at an airport? If you spend a lot of time on the road, it can be quite nice to pick up decent beauty products when you have no chance to go home and stock up. Plus, it gives you some time to kill in between flights.
I don’t see why these people weren’t shot on site either. At the very least they should be charged with being terrorist. In this day and age when you are almost strip searched just to get on the plane, it is sad that these idiots even got to the runway.
They treat their sales employees like crap, as well.
I love Lush’s products, but their goofball politics are a real turnoff.
Airports have become shopping malls – and overpriced ones at that.
Aleric, they really really *seriously* should get jail time. Because these bozos didn’t just march around Stansted with signs, they got onto an airport runway.
At the very least that’s criminal trespassing and maybe some sort of conspiracy thrown in there as well. And we’ll have those clowns to thank if, you know, grown-up terrorists get new ideas.
You know, I was going to say that they need serious punishment on account of real terrorists hearing about the hijinx and planning more intensely dangerous stunts for themselves–but MC Mom beat me to the punch. At least allow me to spike the punch if I can’t get to it first.
The airport management should have just sent someone down to explain to passengers that flights were being delayed because of protesters on the runway. Then they should have asked for volunteers to help them clear the runway. After all, if their flights have been delayed the passengers probably have nothing better to do.
Wow, I am one of those long-time Lush customers who’s really, really angry to find out they’ve been funding idiots like this. Not only was what they did wrong AND hypocritical, it was outright dangerous. They’ll certainly be receiving a letter from me, and no more of my money.
I just heard that some sister group of Plane Stupid’s is planning a similar protest at Heathrow on January 12th. I hope that those jokers don’t get off as easily as these Stansted protesters did.