Airport disruption spreads to North America as more civil resistance groups join Oil Kills – the International Uprising to end fossil fuels

For immediate release

Cars arriving at Montreal Airport were disrupted today as supporters of Last Generation Canada, joined US and European groups taking nonviolent action with Oil Kills –  the International Uprising to end oil, gas and coal by 2030. This came after seven groups caused disruption at airports across Europe this morning.  [1] [2] [3]

In total 14 groups across 10 countries have so far participated in the International Uprising to end fossil fuels. They are Letzte Generation in Germany, Folk Mot Fossilmakta in Norway, XR Finland, Futuro Vegetal in Spain, Just Stop Oil in the UK, Drop Fossil Subsidies and Act Now – Liberate in Switzerland, Letzte Generation Austria, Extinction Rebellion and Scientists Rebellion, Sweden and Last Generation Canada, XR Boston and Scientist Rebellion Turtle Island, USA.

At 16:00 BST (11:00 EDT), six supporters of Last Generation Canada, blocked the road leading towards the departures area of Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau international airport, disrupting access for car travellers. Three of them glued their hands to the tarmac.The supporters carried banners saying “Oil Kills” and “Sign the Treaty.” As of approximately 12:30 EDT, the supporters were still blocking access, with their hands glued to the road.

Kim Bradshaw, age 60, taking action today said :

“Canada’s democracy is broken. It is manipulated by corporate interests at every level, especially by the banks and oil industry. Peaceful direct action IS democracy in action. All avenues of reform have been tried and have failed. If reform worked, we’d not be passing through the 1.5 degree target in 2024, we’d not be losing entire communities and 1000s of hectares in wildfires every summer, and we wouldn’t be licensing or financing more oil exploration! Our leaders are failing to protect us. Until they take real action to halt CO2 emissions, we will do what we have to, to make them.”

At 17:00 BST (12:00 EDT) supporters of Extinction Rebellion Boston and Scientist Rebellion Turtle Island arrived at the Logan International Airport in Boston. The scientists in the group wore their white lab coats. Carrying bright orange banners emblazoned with “Oil Kills” and other anti-fossil-fuel slogans, they walked through the airport terminals offering photo and video opportunities to travellers.

Jamie McGonagill, 32, taking action with Extinction Rebellion Boston today said:

“This week, the global climate clock fell below five years and I sat at my kitchen table and wept. I wept because even the most aggressive government policies currently in place don’t acknowledge the reality that 2050 is too late, that even 2030 is too late. Our leaders are dooming us and our children to a dark future, but time has not fully run out. If we rise up, they cannot ignore us. It is our only hope for survival.”

Earlier today, at 11:15 BST Vienna airport (VIE),  the departure of a plane to Rome was delayed because two supporters of  Letzte Generation Austria (Last Generation) refused to sit down shortly before take-off and then delivered speeches to the passengers before being hauled off the plane. 

Afra Porsche, who delayed the plane’s departure with her speech, addressed her words directly to the passengers:

“The 1.5 degree target is a fairy tale. The bitter reality is the deaths of millions of people caused by the inaction of governments. Our ignoring of the problems and disasters is killing people and endangering our civilization as a whole. Everyone must act now. Companies, governments, but also you. What will you tell your children when they ask why there is nothing left to eat?”

Four other supporters of  Letzte Generation Austria spilled orange warning paint in terminal three of Vienna airport to draw attention to the destruction caused by fossil fuels. There were no arrests.

This afternoon at 13:30 BST (14:30 CEST), Scientists Rebellion supporters from Sweden and Denmark carried out an action at Malmö Airport. They sat in front of the security gates and handed out flyers to passengers. One person was detained.

Aitzkoa Lopez de Lapuente Portilla, a researcher active in Scientist Rebellion said:

“There is a desperate need for an international emergency plan to phase out fossil fuels, but policy makers act as if we can continue using them forever. The global temperature has already been 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels for over a year. People are already dying, and if we continue on this path, the lives of the children born today will be hell. That governments are still not taking emergency measures at this time is incredible”

XR Finland returned to Helsinki-Vantaa airport this afternoon, following this morning’s nonviolent disruption, in order to decorate the front of the terminal building with orange paint. There was one arrest. 

Early this morning supporters of Letzte Generation, Germany succeeded in grounding all departures from Cologne- Bonn Airport for approximately four and a half hours after they glued to the tarmac. All five supporters were arrested along with representatives of the press and later released. They are charged with trespassing, damage to property, dangerous interference with air traffic and participation in an unannounced assembly according to Federal Police.

The coalition of groups taking action today have been supported by the A22 Network and Stay Grounded. [4][5]

Inês Teles, a spokesperson for Stay Grounded said:

“These actions are a defiant response to the wealthy and fossil fuel companies, including airlines, who continue burning up the planet and rushing us to climate breakdown for the sake of their profits and luxuries. Despite their greenwashing, there are no silver bullets to make aviation green, and continuing to burn fossil fuels is unacceptable—they simply must be phased out.”

Today’s actions are just the start. Governments and fossil fuel producers are waging war on humanity. Even so-called climate leaders have continued to approve new coal, oil and gas projects pushing the world closer to global catastrophe and condemning hundreds of millions to death. We need an emergency international response to save lives. As long as political leaders fail to take swift and decisive action to protect our communities from the worst effects of climate breakdown, we will remain in resistance. Our work remains essential, morally right and ever more urgent.  The link between oil, gas and coal, and human lives is now crystal clear: Oil Kills.

ENDS

Oil Kills

Press contact: +44 7762 987334

Press email: [email protected]

High-quality images & video here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JPirDH2_rF9M47r7_UWldjOJuvvw95wE?usp=sharing

Website:https://oilkills.org/

Twitter: https://x.com/_oilkills

Groups supporting the international uprising to end fossil fuels:

Notes to Editors

[1] Oil Kills is an international uprising to end fossil fuels – an unprecedented coalition of civil resistance groups from over 10 countries across Europe and North America. We are taking nonviolent collective action at airports – a key pillar of the fossil fuel economy – to demand an end to oil, gas and coal by 2030.

Our demand in full: Our governments must work together to establish a legally binding treaty to stop extracting and burning oil, gas and coal by 2030 as well as supporting and financing poorer countries to make a fast, fair, and just transition.

This can be accomplished by endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative and seeking a negotiating mandate to establish the treaty.

Our recruiting, training, and capacity building is supported by the Climate Emergency Fund, which strategically supports ultra-ambitious organizations demanding solutions to the climate crisis at emergency speed.

Safety notice: Supporters receive training in nonviolence and will undertake all possible steps to ensure that our actions do not compromise the safety of those using airports, as well as those in the air. This includes avoiding going on any active or inactive runways.

[2] The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative is a diplomatic initiative working with a global network of thousands of civil society organisations and first mover governments who are spurring international cooperation to end new development of fossil fuels, phase out existing production within the agreed climate limit of 1.5°C and develop plans to support workers, communities and countries dependent on fossil fuels to create secure and healthy livelihoods.

[3] This morning’s action press release: https://oilkills.org/2024/07/24/press-release-24-july-2024/

[4] Stay Grounded is a network of 200 initiatives to counter aviation for a just mobility system. They stand up against greenwashing climate strategies like carbon offsetting and the largely illusory promise of so called Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).[5] A22 Network is an international network racing to save humanity. We have a recipe for effective civil resistance. Support us. Join us. You are needed.