Back Heathrow Rumbled

Back Heathrow, the lobby group set up by Heathrow Airport to make the case for a third runway, is furious.  They had planned to stage a ‘Family Fun Day’ at Minet Primary School on 6th September.  But it appears that Back Heathrow had been less than open about the event. They did not promote it on their website and the invitation to the event was sent out not by Back Heathrow but by Sally Smith at Hounslow Chamber of Commerce. 

Yesterday Hillingdon Council told Minet School that they could not host such a political event.

We believe that is the right decision by the Council.  Back Heathrow were prepared to hide their deeply controversial and political message behind, in the words of their press release, ‘family fun day, with a petting zoo, face-painting and a bouncy castle’.  We understand that to encourage businesses to take part it was suggested that they could target children with games primarily aimed at promoting their products and services. Some who had agreed to take part, believing this to be a conventional school event, were not informed that Back Heathrow was involved and the aim of the event was to promote airport expansion. It seems doubtful that the school's governing body understood the nature of the event they had apparently approved to be held on the school site. 

There has been no remorse from Back Heathrow.  Instead their press release launched a ferocious attack on the Council: “This is a disgraceful decision by the bully boys at Hillingdon Council, using their legal powers to order a primary school to cancel a family fun day”. 

We are 100% behind the Council. For many people whose homes and schools are threatened by a third runway, the event would have been an insult.

Christine Taylor, anti-Heathrow expansion campaigner  said, “At first I thought emails about this ‘Family Fun Day’ were a hoax. I could not believe that Back Heathrow would stage such an insensitive and repugnant stunt just a few miles away when families in our villages face the total destruction of their homes and communities.”