I heard about the BAA’s paranoia first on the BBC World Service while running errands yesterday. As seen at Greenpeace:
In three weeks’ time, the Camp for Climate Action is due to gather near Heathrow to peacefully protest against Heathrow’s vast contribution to climate change (the airport’s planes emit more greenhouse gases than many individual countries) and its planned third runway expansion. The owner of Heathrow, the British Airports Authority (BAA), seems to be, frankly, terrified. It’s seeking an injunction, which names as defendants “all persons acting as members, participants or supporters” of anti-aviation group Plane Stupid, anti-noise group HACAN and AirportWatch. The injunction is to stop people from setting foot on Heathrow and “the arterial infrastructure serving” it. The article goes on to point out that AirportWatch is an umbrella organization spanning several large-membership British groups, and that as worded, the injunction would prohibit members of those groups even from using a couple of motorways in/around London, as well as at least one line of The Underground. I suppose that it would be far too naïve of me to point out that it would be far less confrontational for the BAA to meet with organizers of the event, and ensure that a mutually agreeable solution could be found to the presumption that the Camp would want to get its message out, and the BAA has an understandable need to not permit airport operations to be disrupted.