Richard George is trespassing on the roof of the Houses of Parliament at the moment.
Mr George and his friends are strongly opposed to the construction of a third runway at Heathrow.
Richard George lives in a democracy, and is able to vote for his MP, and in the local elections. He is also able to lobby and participate in the consultation process. However, he feels that the consultation process hasn’t been fair, because the “the British Airports Authority wrote sections of the consultation and that there has been a BAA official within the consultation committee pushing their forward their agenda”.
Accordingly, he has concluded that it is necessary for him to take direct action: i.e. trespass on property, access to which is restricted for security reasons:
…because we don’t believe that the consultation has been a democratic process. This is the beginning of a campaign of direct action that will not cease until we feel we’re being listened to and until we’re satisfied that it’s Londoners’ views, rather than BAA’s, that the government paying attention to.
I am strongly in favour of a third runway at Heathrow.
I am therefore taking direct action, by hanging banners from Richard George’s bedroom window, and throwing some paper aeroplanes around in the kitchen.
After all, he’s not there to stop me!
