Black Lives Matter protest sparks traffic chaos outside London's Heathrow airport

Black Lives Matter activists protesting against racism in the UK have blocked roads in three major cities including London where traffic has been brought to a standstill outside Heathrow airport.

As the movement carried out a coordinated day of action, police tried to end demonstrations in London, Birmingham and Nottingham during the morning rush hour on Friday, the Guardian reported.

By midday, protesters who had chained themselves to each other remained in place in Nottingham city centre, bringing buses and trams to a halt, and on the approach to Heathrow, causing lengthy tailbacks for holidaymakers.

Black Lives Matter UK (UKBLM), a loose network of anti-racism activists, called the action – which it is calling a “shutdown” – to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan, who was shot dead by police during a hard stop.

Natasha Nkonde, a UKBLM activist, said: "[Duggan] represents another death in police custody with no consequences. Black people are overrepresented in these cases." 

Outside Heathrow protesters unfurled a banner saying “This is Crisis” and lay on the road chanting “Black lives matter” on the approach to the Heathrow tunnel, bringing traffic, which was busy because of the school holidays, to a standstill. Metropolitan police said they were called to the scene just before 8.30am.

They said they had made 10 arrests, four of whom had been taken to west London police stations and six who had attached themselves to each other who they were trying to release.

Source: MENA