International climate movement Extinction Rebellion has announced that its planned drone attacks on Heathrow Airport in September will no longer be going ahead.
The group made the decision to drop the controversial action after discussions with its youth wing, XR Youth, revealed serious disagreements within the movement over the decision-making process that had led to the Heathrow plan.
“Proposed action at Heathrow Airport [will] be dropped as [XR Youth] do not support an action at Heathrow at this time and in this way,” said the group in a statement.
“It was unanimously agreed that the process for attempting to decide to have an action at Heathrow had been divisive, poorly conducted and left many people across Extinction Rebellion feeling unheard and exhausted.”
XR Youth raised the issue of “ageism” in the movement, demanding that their thinking and way of working be incorporated into the central workings of the organisation.
“We have left our young people to organise on their own by failing to address adult privilege within our organisational and decision-making structures,” Gail Bradbrook, 47, one of the co-founders of Extinction Rebellion. “It’s time to change that and heal the division and hurts between us.”
The movement did acknowledge the possibility that a splinter group could still go ahead with drone attacks, but made sure to distance themselves from unsanctioned drone activity, saying: “if an action with drones takes place at Heathrow it will be by an independent group outside Extinction Rebellion.”
