A group of Black Lives Matter activists whose protest temporarily shut down a London airport Tuesday have been arrested and removed from the runway, police said.
(CNN)- Nine protesters caused flights to be suspended at London City Airport by locking themselves together on the runway and erecting a tripod, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Black Lives Matter UK, a network of anti-racism activists, said in a statement that the action was taken to protest Britain’s “environmental impact on the lives of black people locally and globally.”
The police said the protesters were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass, being unlawfully airside and breaching London City Airport bylaws, and were taken into custody. The statement was issued nearly six hours after police were alerted of the protest.
Some scheduled arrivals were diverted to Southend Airport while the protest was underway, an airport representative said.
London City Airport tweeted that the runway has since reopened, and it advised passengers to check with their airlines for flight information.