"A GROUP of climate-change protesters who brought Stansted airport to a standstill face the threat of being sued for more than £2million by Ryanair, the Standard has learned.
Protest group Plane Stupid claims more than 50 of its members who occupied a taxiway at the airport last month are being targeted for the cash.
It comes after 22 Plane Stupid members were sentenced at Harlow magistrates' court yesterday over the blockade after admitting aggravated trespass. Most were ordered to do between 50 and 90 hours of community service each.
The protesters cut through the perimeter fence at Stansted on 8 December and chained themselves to metal fencing near the runway, causing the airport to close for five hours. The court heard 52,000 passengers were delayed.
District judge John Perkins said: "Substantial loss was caused to the authorities that were carrying out lawful activities.
"I accept there is an honourable tradition of peaceful protest in this country, and long may it continue. But that does not justify the sort of activity that you were involved in." Police charged 49 people with the rest due to appear at a later date.
Ryanair's lawyers have, with the police, lodged a €2.5 million (£2.2 million) compensation claim for loss of revenue after being forced to cancel 57 flights. It is also seeking €500,000 for "reputational damage".
A spokesman for the airline refused to rule out suing individual protesters in the civil courts. He said: "At the moment our claim is against Stansted, but we would not rule out seeking compensation from other parties at a later date."
Joe Ryle, a sixth-form student from Hornsey who was given a three-month conditional discharge, said: "It's pretty scary what's happening now. Most of us haven't got any money and a fair few of us are at school and the ones at university already have big debts.
"It seems if Ryanair follows this through and wins, we'll be paying money to Michael O'Leary for decades, and all because we think our parents' generation failed us so we decided to actually do something about climate change."
Leo Murray, a Plane Stupid spokesman sentenced to 70 hours' community service, said: "The sentences were surprisingly harsh. But we went into it with our eyes open and we are ready to take the consequences.""
The sooner these people realise that actions have consequences and that they do not have the right to disrupt the travel plans of thousands just to satisfy their own misguided sense of outrage, the better.
The part of the article that really got me was the out of touch quote at the end:
""It seems if Ryanair follows this through and wins, we'll be paying money to Michael O'Leary for decades, and all because we think our parents' generation failed us so we decided to actually do something about climate change."
Leo Murray, a Plane Stupid spokesman sentenced to 70 hours' community service, said: "The sentences were surprisingly harsh. But we went into it with our eyes open and we are ready to take the consequences.""
Leo Murray - first there is no such thing as man made climate change, do your research rather than lapping up the lies of the green Mafia. Second, do you really think 70 hours of community service is "surprisingly harsh"? Just wait until you get into the real world of work rather than your pretend world of demonstrations and agitation.
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