Four Just Stop Oil protesters found guilty of conspiracy to cause disruption at Manchester Airport
Four Just Stop Oil protestors who have been found guilty of causing disruption at Manchester Airport / Credit: Just Stop Oil
Four Just Stop Oil protesters have been found guilty of conspiracy to intentionally cause public nuisance at Manchester Airport.
Indigo Rumbelow, Leanorah Ward, Margaret Reid, and Daniel Knorr each appeared at Manchester Minshull Crown Court last Friday (21 February) where they were found guilty after being arrested by officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Specialist Operations Branch and Serious Crime Division during the early hours of the morning last August.
The four defendants were detained while walking along South Park Road in Gatley, as they were making their way to Manchester Airport.
According to GMP, they were equipped with heavy duty bolt cutters, angle grinders, glue, sand, Just Stop Oil high visibility vests, and a leaflet containing instructions to follow when interacting with police.
One of the defendants, Leanorah Ward, was also found in possession of a handwritten detailing the motive of the group – which was to enter the airfield of Manchester Airport, before contacting the police to alert them of their activity.
Four Just Stop Oil protestors have been found guilty of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance following GMP investigation.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) February 21, 2025
In August 2024, we detained 4 people close to Manchester Airport who were equipped with heavy duty bolt cutters, angle grinders, glue & sand. pic.twitter.com/AE6vDedtnZ
They were planning to stick themselves to the airfield taxiway using the glue and sand, with one main goal – to disrupt airport activity and gain media attention.
GMP says the arrests managed to ‘prevent large-scale disruption’ at Manchester Airport, amid a summer of chaos threatened by Just Stop Oil, a result of extensive work and national coordination.
“This was a planned and targeted attack against one of the country’s busiest airports which could have caused significant disruption,” explained Natalie Mackenzie, who is the District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West.
“Their plan displayed a clear disregard for members of the public using the airport at the height of summer.
Read more:
- Police arrest four Just Stop Oil protesters near Manchester Airport
- Sneak peak inside Manchester Airport’s brand new terminal following £1.3bn transformation
- Council tax could be increased to help keep Greater Manchester Police ‘one of the best’ in the UK
“The right to protest is important but it must be balanced against the rights of other citizens to go about their daily business.”
Featured Image – Just Stop Oil