Plane Stupid – ‘bringing the aviation industry back down to earth’
Made up of a network of grassroots groups as oppose to the more commonplace top-down hierarchy, this organisation boasts a diverse mix of followers ranging from outlandish activists to the more sobering scholar and everyone in between. Under the banner of Plane Stupid, these followers aim to take non-violent direct action against airport expansion.
The founding group came together in 2005 to oppose an aviation industry conference and have since occupied Stansted, East Midlands, and Aberdeen airports, shut down EasyJet and BAA’s headquarters; stopped private jets at Biggin Hill, London City and Edinburgh airports; worked with local residents to defend their homes from bulldozers, exposed a corporate spy and of course chucked green custard over Peter Mandelson. To name just a few!
Qualms surrounding the effectiveness of peaceful protest continue to emerge calling into question the work and impact of all protest groups active at the moment. Plane Stupid has an ethos that seems to straddle the fence between peaceful protest and more provocative forms of direct action. Often carrying out stunts with a comedic tone, past actions have been condemned by cynics as inflammatory and unfocussed. Activities of the kind listed above are often dismissed as immature or distracting and blockades damned by the general public for causing inconvenience.
Despite this, the demands of groups such as Plane Stupid hold strong- it is clear that these stunts see no sign of disappearing until the demands are met. It is therefore important to consider the effectiveness of such activities. Perhaps with a glance back at history, the relevance of groups such as Plane Stupid becomes clear.
Practicing a direct approach to tackling the runaway train of commercial airline expansion (no pun intended), Plane Stupid have seen themselves in many a scuffle with the police. These confrontations should not solely be viewed as outlandish stunts but as tried and tested methods of achieving change. Many of the civil liberties now considered the norm in Britain were achieved through similar means. The type of antagonistic activity Plane Stupid take up is nothing new, the Suffragette movement being a key predecessor. Fellow environmental action group Climate Rush, claims to take direct lead from the Suffragette movement; defending its own, often unlawful activities as being as necessary as those of Emily Pankhurst.
It is indeed unfeasible to view the present day with any sense of detachment, as we do not have the packaging of a historical perspective. Despite this, it is vital to consider the glaring scientific evidence showing us that the human race is steadily destroying the planet as we know it. We must then think forward to the nostalgic tales we will have for the next generations. As Dan Glass - an active member of Plane Stupid has put it, “I don’t want to tell my kids, oh yeah I protested against climate change, I want to say I actually tried to stop its progression directly”.
Glass, who was last year recognised for his community work with an award presented to him by Gordon Brown at Downing Street, used the opportunity to superglue himself to the Prime Minister in an effort to remind Brown to “stick to his environmental promises”.
Whatever your own views on the methods employed to try and delay the seemingly inevitable future of climate change- it is hard to deny the audacity and dedication of the individuals involved in Plane Stupid. The level of professionalism and insight Plane Stupid beholds is impressive. They offer support and training for anyone wanting to get involved or start a new group, providing information on how to track down like-minded people and take the first steps toward direct action. They are a functioning example of a network that has formed and organised itself horizontally using consensus decision making, and with groups in London, Glasgow, Brighton, Manchester, Southampton, Leeds, Edinburgh and Cambridge, they really are a force to be reckoned with.
The sprawling network of small groups and individuals united through a common cause is a progressive model that is proving effective when jousting with huge multi-national corporations such as those propping up the aviation industry. The inclusive approach Plane Stupid beholds, welcomes and encourages anybody and everybody to carry out protests in their name- providing that their actions are non violent and aim to hinder aviation expansion.
With Facebook and Twitter as its tools, this David is arguably more well equipped then that of the original fable; however in this version of the story, Goliath seems almost indestructible. This may seem like a similar tale of Biblical proportions, but we must remember that there really is nothing fictional about what is at stake.
Visit http://www.planestupid.com for more information and news on future and past actions.
Alternatively you can contact Plane Stupid by getting in touch via the inquiries line 07595 506673 or by emailing them on info@planestupid.com.
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