At least 20 environmental protesters arrested at Massachusetts airport, police say
By Sarah Dewberry, CNN
(CNN) — At least 20 people were arrested at a Massachusetts airport Saturday morning after protesters with Extinction Rebellion allegedly breached a security perimeter, according to local police.
The protesters were arrested after some allegedly trespassed on the tarmac at Hanscom Field Airport in Bedford, Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said.
Procopio said those arrested could face charges including trespassing and disorderly conduct.
According to an Extinction Rebellion Boston news release, the group gathered Saturday “to protest the proposed expansion of 17 new private jet hangars” at the small airport approximately 20 miles northwest of Boston. The climate activism organization said they condemn “new fossil fuel infrastructure that will be in operation for decades, preventing us from achieving decarbonization and threatening us with runaway global heating and an uninhabitable Earth.”
The group added protesters disrupted flights at the airport “in a peaceful, non-violent, non-destructive act of civil disobedience.”
CNN has reached out to the Massachusetts Port Authority but has yet to hear back.
On its Facebook page, the Bedford Police Department said they were called upon to assist Hanscom personnel and Massachusetts State Police “in response to reports of numerous disruptive protesters and trespassers.”
The police department added the community did not appear to be in any danger in connection with the protest.
Extinction Rebellion has previously staged protests at the same airport, according to their news release. The airport was mostly used for military operations for decades but now serves “a mix of corporate aviation, private pilots, flight schools, commuter/commercial air services, charters and light cargo,” according to its website.
The protest comes as the planet has continued to pass stark environmental milestones. February 2024 was the hottest February on record, marking the 9th month of record-breaking heat, according to data from the European Union.
CNN’s Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.
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