People are being encouraged to miss school or work this week to take part in a climate protest against Bristol Airport.
Environmental campaign group Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate (BYS4C) has called for a rally at 11am on College Green on Friday (March 25) with a march around the city centre commencing at 12pm. The Bristol demonstration is part of a much wider network of protests for the Global Climate Strike on Friday, an international day of action hosted each year.
Speaking to Bristol Live, climate activist and spokesperson for BYS4C, Torin Menzies, 17, confirmed the group predicts around 300 people will attend the demonstration against the airport expansion, but they are hoping for more. "We are encouraging people to miss school, college, and university, as well as take time off work if possible," he said.
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Bristol Airport’s plans to expand its capacity from 10 to 12 million passengers a year was allowed on appeal in February. The local campaign group Bristol Airport Action Network has recently decided to appeal to the High Court against the Government planning inspector’s decision which allows the airport to expand.
Mr Menzies continued: "For the sake of our communities and our futures, Bristol Airport expansion cannot be allowed to go ahead. We need to rapidly decarbonise to fight the climate crisis, not emitting more than ever before. Bristol Airport expansion will further worsen the lives of those living near it through air and noise pollution, whilst emitting an extra million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually.
"As young people, it is our futures which are the most at risk here - that is why we are calling for everyone to stand behind us and oppose Airport expansion." Bristol Live has reached out to Avon and Somerset Police to ask for their response to the upcoming rally.
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The event in Bristol is occurring alongside other climate strikes across the world, including in London, Bath, Liverpool, Oxford, and Southampton in the UK. This year's theme will focus on 'People Not Profit' to highlight environmental injustices affecting vulnerable communities, with Bristol's focus revolving around the repercussions of the airport expansion.
Speakers at the rally will include youth climate strikers, residents of North Somerset - the area impacted by the runway expansion, clean air campaign Our Air Our City, and members of Bristol Airport Action Network, who are currently attempting to reverse the Planning Inspectorate's decision at the High Court.
BYS4C has organised more than ten climate strikes since February 2019, including Greta Thunberg's visit to the city in February 2020, and two climate swarms - which are temporary roadblocks - with Youth Climate Swam earlier this year. Most recently, the group targeted the departures terminal of Bristol Airport by staging a 'die-in' demonstration.
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