The UK's approach to Stansted protestors has been shameful - it should inspire us all to action

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Demonstrators in support of the Stansted 15 at the start of the group’s trial in Chelmsford in March (Getty)

We express our intense disquiet at the use of draconian legislation to convict the Stansted 15 on 10 December 2018.

The 15 were convicted under the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 of “endangering an aerodrome” by locking themselves around a Titan Airways plane that was deporting refugees and migrants back to Ghana and Nigeria. The above Act was introduced in the wake of the Lockerbie bombing, and it has only been used on one previous occasion: for an act when a pilot intentionally flew his plane at a control tower in Coventry airport soon after “9/11/2001”.

After the actions of the Stansted 15, 11 of those who were scheduled for deportation are still in the UK, and this number includes some who were victims of trafficking recognised under the Modern Slavery Act.

This is the first time such draconian legislation has been used for a protest action designed specifically to protect human rights. Thus, for example, when seven protestors from “Plane Stupid” occupied a taxiway at Aberdeen Airport in 2009, the activists were convicted of aggravated trespass: a much lesser offence.

According to Amnesty International, “the rights and freedoms of all of us are being eroded. The UK should not be targeting human rights defenders in this way”.

Even if someone were to disagree with the precise tactics of the Stansted 15, this legal judgment presents a very serious risk to the right to express dissenting views, as well as to the right to protest. In this particular case, it is clear that the actions of the Stansted 15 prevented a greater harm being meted out to a majority of the deportees who were on this plane.

We call on those concerned with justice in the UK to express their deep concern at this outcome. We also consider it shameful that the UK is the only country in Europe to lock up for an indefinite period of time those whose immigration status remains uncertain. The Stansted 15 deserve our praise and support, not the prison sentences which may await them.

Professor Alison Assiter, philosophy, UWE, Bristol
Dr Christine Battersby, philosophy, University of Warwick
Professor David Papineau, philosophy, King’s College London
Professor Bridget Byrne, sociology, University of Manchester​
Professor Gavin Brown, geography, University of Leicester
and more than 150 other signatories

UK now a fridge magnate

It has been reliably reported, that the Department of Health is now the biggest buyer of fridges in the world.

I predict that Chris Grayling and the Department for Transport will shortly become the largest owner of cross-channel ferries.

My questions are, firstly, does the government believe this to be normal behaviour for a leading industrialised nation?

And what on earth are we to do with a vast collection of extraneous, polluting, redundant junk when a people’s vote is called or Article 50 rescinded?

Robert Boston
Kent

Does God hate your Christmas tree?

I notice more and more churches advertising Christmas Tree festivals or exhibitions with a range of decorated trees on display in their sanctuaries. What is the significance of the trees that they are displaying in relation to the doctrine of their faith? I note that non-Christians, commercial businesses and even atheists also follow the same custom of putting up decorated trees.

The only verse I could find in the Bible concerning decorated trees was a section in Jeremiah 10:2-5 where God denounces the practice: “Thus saith the LORD, ‘Do not follow the way of the Gentiles (pagans)... for the customs of the people are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails so that it will not topple.”

This bears a very close resemblance to the current practice of decorating trees for Christmas, but here we can see that such practices are very clearly pre-Christian and furthermore condemned by God. How can the churches reconcile this practice in their buildings today which many call the House of God?

Just food for thought for the Christmas Day conversation...

Colin Nevin
County Down

A call to arms for Asia Bibi

Will Asia Bibi ever be truly ‘free?’

The Christian Pakistani woman, whose blasphemy conviction was overturned by Pakistan’s highest court, will spend Christmas in hiding in that country.

She has spent much of the past eight years on death row in solitary confinement.

Christian leaders must continue to put more pressure on the Pakistani Government to allow Mrs Bibi to live in peace and leave the country.

We have to have more voices and more pressure from the Church and the whole international community – there must be a turning point to help reverse religious intolerance in Pakistan and ensure the state respects the rights of the Christian minority in that country.

Margot Parker, MEP for the East Midlands
Northamptonshire

Elephant in the room this Christmas?

Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year”, but it isn’t a wonderful time to add a new dog, cat, or other animal to the family.

That’s why it’s important to resist the temptation to give a living, breathing being as a “gift”.

Animal companions require plenty of time, attention, patience, and money – all of which are scarce during this season. Adopting cats or dogs means making at least a 15-year commitment to love and care for them unconditionally.

It also means finding an individual who is a good match for family members’ activity level, experience, abilities, and personalities. These aren’t decisions you can make for someone else.

Many animals who were given as “gifts” are surrendered to shelters or dumped outdoors to die after the festive period, when the novelty wears off and families find themselves overwhelmed.

Please, don’t let the holidays end in heartbreak. If you’re certain that your loved ones want an animal companion and are ready and able to provide one with a lifelong home, consider wrapping up a bowl, a bed, and a voucher for an adoption at a local shelter.

That way, the recipients can choose an individual who is a good fit for their personality and lifestyle – after the hectic Christmas season has passed.

Jennifer White, Media and Partnerships Coordinator​, Peta

Indefinite article

Chambers’ Dictionary states that a “deal” is a business transaction (especially a favourable one).

It can also mean “an indefinite quantity”... and “soft wood”.

Which is Mrs May’s?

Mike Bor
London W2