Protesters who planned Manchester Airport disruption jailed

Four Just Stop Oil protesters who were planning to glue themselves to the taxiway at Manchester Airport have been jailed.

Officers arrested Indigo Rumbelow, Margaret Reid, Leanorah Ward and Daniel Knorr as they were making their way to the airport on 4 August 2024.

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.

All four were found guilty of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance and jailed at Manchester Minshull Crown Court for between 18 and 30 months. Additionally, they were each fined £2,000.

Indigo Rumbelow, 31, from Tottenham, has been sentenced to 30 months and Leanorah Ward, 22, from Birmingham, has been sentenced to 18 months.

Margaret Reid, 54, from Kendal, has been sentenced to 18 months, and Daniel Knorr, 23, of Second Avenue, Birmingham, has been sentenced to 24 months.

According to Greater Manchester Police, Ward said, during her interview, that she regretted the protest had been unsuccessful after being caught by the police.

She was also carrying a handwritten note which explained that the group planned to enter the airfield and then contact the police to alert them of their activity.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes, from Greater Manchester Police, said police forces across the country had begun preparations to thwart Just Stop Oil’s planned protests, after activists threatened a summer of disruption last year.

“Bringing together experts in the field, and through extensive collaboration, Greater Manchester Police successfully foiled their plans,” he said.