Dozens of people in a “popular sit-in” called by Climáximo disrupted the road access to Lisbon Airport.
Today, dozens of people marched to Lisbon Airport in protest, under the slogan “Stop the planes”, with the aim of staging a ‘”popular sit-in to cancel new aviation industry expansion projects, cut emissions, halt the climate crisis and guarantee free public transport for all”.
The protest began at 3 pm at the Rotunda do Relógio. From there, they marched to the airport, where dozens of people disrupted road access to it for more than 30 minutes. The protesters carried banners reading “Neither here nor in Alcochete / Airport for shit”, “Fewer planes, more public housing” and “Free public transport for all now”. During the sit-in, there were speeches, chants, readings of texts of solidarity from other activists fighting against airport expansion around the world, collective discussions, as well as the distribution of leaflets to passers-by.
In a statement, spokesperson Maria Lourenço said, “Today we disrupted the most polluting and emitting infrastructure in the country with our own bodies, demonstrating the power and strength of popular democracy. The airport is the infrastructure in Portugal most responsible for worsening the climate crisis, and aviation industry companies line their pockets at the expense of gentrification in cities and the burning of the planet”. Furthermore, “they are profiting at the expense of planetary destruction: ANA Aeroportos closed 2024 with a historic profit of 511 million euros. The construction of a new airport is a step towards the climate abyss that governments and companies want to lead us into. Instead, what we need is to pull the emergency brake on the climate crisis, cut emissions in the aviation sector to almost zero by 2030, and ensure a free and electrified public transport network throughout the country”, she concludes.
Francisco Siqueira, spokesperson, also states that “we need everyone to be able to stop the climate crisis. Regardless of our origins, professions, ages, etc., we all want to live a fair and dignified life on a habitable planet. This system has already made it clear that it will send us into the climate abyss, as is the case with the parliamentary consensus on the construction of a new airport. No one is coming to save us: it is up to us, ordinary people, to unite and build popular power to stop the barbarism of climate and social catastrophe”.
During the sit-in, at least four people were arrested and three more were identified inside the airport. According to Maria, “we know that the system tries to defend itself every time ordinary people take action. But we will not back down: the fight for the climate and for life is urgent”. The protest now continues in the form of a vigil in front of the Olivais police station, where dozens will wait in solidarity for the release of those detained. “We call on everyone to show up in solidarity at the vigil and join the climate resistance”, says the spokesperson.