Heath Row

London airport owner seeks injunction against weeklong climate protest

We've got juicy legal goings-on from London, and while it's probably not true that all involved are wearing long, white wigs, we like to picture it that way. Here's the deal: in mid-August, an estimated 5,000 protesters will descend on London's Heathrow Airport for a weeklong Camp for Climate Action. BAA, the company that owns Heathrow, is not so keen on the plan, and has sought an injunction that would ban the camp. But the wording of the injunction was so broad it appeared to apply to 5 million members of environmental organizations in the country, restricting their travel to, from, or in the vicinity of the airport on public roads and public transport. That fuzziness has led to critiques from, among others, London Mayor Ken Livingstone ("someone there must be out of their skull") and the judge hearing the request ("I have to know what I am being asked to do"). It has been, says the protesters' lawyer, "a hopeless start to a hopeless application." The hearing should wrap on Friday.