Climate Protesters Turned Back At Antwerp Airport

According to local Belgian news sources, law enforcement officers thwarted a group of some 700 climate activists who tried to storm Antwerp Airport last week in an effort to disrupt flight operations. About 20 of the activists from the Netherlands-based group Code Rood (Code Red), also known as Code Rouge, did manage to break through airport fencing, but were stopped and detained before reaching any aircraft or active parking or operating areas.

The group had announced its plans to practice “mass civil disobedience” targeting aviation on Dec. 16 and 17, including cargo and business jet operations. Local news outlets reported that several hundred protesters were arrested.

The group reportedly had originally planned to disrupt Brussels International Airport, but switched its focus to the smaller regional airport in the days before the planned action.