Stansted deportation protesters charged with terrorism-related offence

Last year in March, 15 people grounded a deportation charter flight for ten hours to prevent it taking off. On 12 March 2018, they are going on trial at Chelmsford Crown Court charged with a terrorism-related offence. If found guilty they could serve many years in prison.

According to Shine A Light

Two journalists and fifteen protestors have pleaded not guilty to public order offences arising from a protest at Stansted Airport in March 2017 that stopped a deportation flight. The flight had been due to deport around 50 migrants to Nigeria and Ghana, flanked by 100 guards.
Barry Hargreaves, for the prosecution, claimed that the defendants went through a hole in the perimeter fence and trespassed onto the airport runway at 9.30pm on 28 March 2017, before “chaining themselves together causing disruption to the [deportation] flight”.The defendants, nine women and eight men aged 23 to 46, were charged with public order offences and breaching airport byelaws. They pleaded not guilty.