Prominent British plant vegetables against fliers.

Heathrow should get a third runway - but now land Environmentalists a coup, which crosses all the plans you have land acquired for the expansion is needed. Celebrities like the actress Emma Thompson is determined to live their plot.

 

London - The pilot of his hastily rolling suitcases through the hall attracts, amusedly shaking his head. "What is going on here?" He asks a police officer. The looks at himself in disbelief the invasion in Terminal 1 at London's Heathrow airport. Costumed characters drawn in a polonaise from the check-in counters along, sitting on the floor with people Tupper cans and picnic, as they are sitting somewhere in the green and not under the cold fluorescent light of the departure hall.

"Stop Airport Expansion" on their T-shirts read, while others wear sashes with the slogan "Trains, not planes." From time to break them in voice choirs from: "No third runway" - no third runway.

Tamsin Omond Mittendrin bounces like a rubber ball around. The 24-year-old is behind this "flash mob" on Monday evening, the airport sober for an hour and a half into a circus arena has changed. The founder of the activist group Climate Rush "is one of the main characters in the fight against the expansion of Europe's largest airport. "We will stop the government," she says breathlessly.

It is the week of the decision. Everything indicates that the Cabinet of Prime Minister Gordon Brown to build a third runway and a sixth terminal will decide. The number of flights will be by 2030 from 480,000 to 720,000 per year. Otherwise Heathrow could compete in the global hubs not keep up, warns of airport operator BAA. It is not about England tourists, but the intercontinental business with transients between America, Europe and Asia.

No instruction possible

Residents and environmentalists run storm. They do not want to accept the fact that prior to their doorstep Umsteigeplatz of the world arises. For years, the west London suffers under the moloch Heathrow. "In some schools teaching is no longer possible," tells a 69-year-old from Chiswick Anwohnerin. A new report by the Mayor Boris Johnson came to the conclusion that noise and air pollution are already borderline. With the expansion would increase emissions Unreasonable.

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The resistance is huge and bears the characteristics of a genuine citizens' movement. The conservative Tories are fighting side by side with the Greens and Greenpeace, on the other hand, industry, trade unions and the Labor government. The runway opponents want to prefer building a fast train network modeled after the German ICE or French TGV invest. They call for a new train from London Eurostar St Pancras station via Heathrow to Manchester and Leeds, the big cities in the north of England.

Omonds life revolves around a year ago the opposition to Heathrow. When the Parliament debated on the expansion, she was one of the activists on the roof of the Houses of Parliament and climbed a banner entrollten. The airport was by far the biggest polluters of Britain, she says. By the third runway would reduce CO2 emissions from 17 million to 28 million tonnes per year. Who wants to fight climate change, will have to begin with Heathrow.

Emma Thompson wants to grow vegetables

British Airways chief Wille Walsh countered until the third runway was in operation - target is 2020 - would be 55 percent fewer planes emitting carbon dioxide. But the climate argument lit many British one. Under the leadership of Greenpeace, a number of prominent country on the planned runway purchased for the plans to stop. In addition to local politicians also has the actress Emma Thompson anden only one parcel. "We will prevent that, and if we collect and vegetables need to grow," she says.

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The comedian Alistair McGowan, among others through his parodies of David Beckham and Tony Blair became known, said the expansion Heathrows was as if "Gordon Brown a giant torch to the polar caps and say: 'melts, melts".

A year ago, Greenpeace, the coup prepared. "We have provided a refuge for donkeys to build," said a spokesman, according to "Guardian". The parcels should be sent to as many people in as many areas of the world are sold, so the buyback for BAA will be lengthy and expensive. Up to 4000 people could be at the end of the country in the size of half a football field possess. However, Greenpeace is also pleased to have early. According to BBC News "There is a statutory scheme with which such tactical land purchases can be declared illegal.

The Prime Minister seems determined in any case, the implementation of the matter. "Brown will not umstimmen," says Alistair Lucocq in protest picnic in Terminal 1 "We have a recession, and we need every job. So he thinks."

Up to 65,000 new jobs promised by unions of the construction projects? a tempting for a Labor politician. But the costs are high. An entire village would have the soft landing. And the residents do not believe that this expansion would be the last. "They always do more," says an elderly woman in Terminal 1 "They will also want a seventh terminal." Therefore, it is now high time to draw a border. She was already on a number of protest events. Once they were around the fence of Heathrow marches, she says. Another time the demonstrators had a big "No" on a roll-shaped box.

Even after the decision of the government, which should fall this week, the resistance will therefore continue. Observers predict a year-long tug of war. London Mayor Johnson, a prominent Tory, has already announced, against the expansion before the court to consider. Omond is convinced: "The government will say yes. But the runway will be built not."