Campaigners just disrupted a Heathrow panel appearance – to expose protest injunctions protecting fossil fuel major Shell’s AGM

Climate campaigners from Fossil Free London have disrupted Heathrow Airport’s panel appearance at the Innovation Zero conference at Olympia London. It was to call out the airport’s injunctions. These are set to prevent campaigners from protesting at fossil fuel major Shell’s upcoming AGM.

Heathrow protest injunction to stop campaigners at upcoming Shell AGM

On Wednesday 30 April, Activists turned up to challenge Heathrow’s director of carbon strategy Matthew Gorman:

🚨BREAKING: We disrupted a @Heathrow_Airport boss to expose how Shell are using the airport’s injunction to block environmental campaigners from attending their AGM. #JusticeforNigeria #ShellKills pic.twitter.com/sO7JVmFPra

— Fossil Free London (@fossilfreeLDN) April 30, 2025

In particular, they railed against the airport’s anti-protest injunction. It currently prevents them from attending Shell’s annual general meeting. This is because the fossil fuel major will be holding on airport grounds in May.

Heathrow airport took out a court injunction covering the premises last year. Notably, it did so in response to Just Stop Oil’s plan to ‘disrupt’ airports that summer. This bans any person associated with any environmental group from entering the airport’s grounds. In doing so, it means that they would risk up to two years in prison, fines and/or seizure of assets.

Legal experts and human rights organisations have expressed concern over the increasing private use of sweeping protest injunctions to suppress peaceful climate demonstrations.

Big polluter bedfellows

Fossil Free London has consistently held Shell’s feet to the fire. In recent years, it has crashed Shell AGM over its role in environmental damage and human rights violations in the Niger Delta, as well as their fossil fuel expansion.

Director of Fossil Free London Robin Wells said:

Heathrow’s not only locking in devastation for all British people by expanding the airport, they’re now getting into bed with the climate criminals at Shell, letting them hide behind this anti-protest injunction.

Corporate polluters are scratching each other’s backs and laughing all the way to the bank while our rights to survive and advocate for our survival are being washed away in the rising tide of repression they’re funding.

Heathrow is actively contributing to the oppression of communities in the Niger Delta, shielding Shell from accountability. They must scrap this injunction.

Featured image via screengrab