Extinction Rebellion - live: Climate activists dance with police officers while three charged over Tube protest face month in custody
Leaked messages suggest protesters plan to 'shut down' Heathrow Airport on Good Friday
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
As climate change protests continued for a fourth day on Thursday, leaked WhatsApp messages suggested activists are planning to "shut down" Heathrow Airport on Good Friday.
The airport said it was "working with the authorities" to address any threat of disruption over the long Easter weekend.
It came after Metropolitan Police updated the arrest figure to 428 on Thursday.
Home secretary Sajid Javid offered his support to the police and condemned any "unlawful protests", while London mayor Sadiq Khan suggested cuts to police funding were restricting the Met's ability to cope with the demonstrations.
Three activists appeared in court where they pleaded not guilty to charges relating to their alleged involvement in obstructing trains at Canary Wharf station on Wednesday morning.
They were remanded in custody for a month until they next appear at Blackfriars Crown Court on 16 May.
Follow how the protests develop throughout the day
Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load
Climate change protesters have threatened to “raise the bar” and “shut down” Heathrow Airport on Good Friday, according to an apparent leaked WhatsApp message.
Activists could spark travel chaos if they go ahead with plans to target the country’s busiest airport at the start of the long Easter weekend.
Screenshots shared on social media show a message addressed to “rebels” which says: “Tomorrow we raise the bar. We are going to shut down Heathrow.
“There is a deep remorse for those whose holiday and family plans will be disrupted tomorrow. It is not our intention to cause further separation.
“However, the aviation industry needs to be targeted and we are all aware of the deep, structural change that needs to come.”
The group is planning to meet at a petrol station close to the airport at 8am on Friday, according to the messages.
The message says protesters will use a “standard swarming process” and claims that “if there are lots of us, there will be a low risk of arrest”.
A Twitter user posted an image of an Extinction Rebellion poster on a Tube carriage which had been put in the place of an advert.
Home secretary Sajid Javid has pledged his full support to the police in London where officers have arrested more than 420 people over four days of protests.
He also condemned "unlawful" protesters for causing "misery" to people's lives with disruption.
He said: “Everyone has the right to protest peacefully – it’s a cherished, long-standing British tradition and a fundamental cornerstone of the democracy we live in.
Home secretary Sajid Javid (Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)
“But people do not have the right to break the law and significantly disrupt the lives of others.
"Let me be clear - I totally condemn any protesters who are stepping outside the boundaries of the law.
"They have no right to cause misery for the millions of people who are trying to lead their daily lives. Unlawful behaviour will not be tolerated."
London's mayor Sadiq Khan suggested cuts to police funding have restricted the Metropolitan Police's ability to cope with the demonstrations.
In a letter to home secretary Sajid Javid, he said: "I support the right to peaceful and lawful protest - which is a cornerstone of our democracy.
"But this right must be balanced against the need to ensure the safety and security of all Londoners, as well as the continued running of our city.
"The Met take a consistent approach to protests regardless of the cause that motivates the protesters.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan with Metropolitan Police officers (Yui Mok/PA)
"However, the Met's ability to police protests without impacting on core policing priorities - such as tackling knife crime - has been made significantly harder by the huge cuts to Government police funding."
He said he would be working with Scotland Yard to consider whether a claim for a special grant from the Home Office would be justified "to compensate for the costs of policing the current protests".
Heathrow Airport has said it is "working with the authorities" to address any threat of protests that could disrupt it.
A spokesman said: "While we respect the right to peaceful protest and agree with the need to act on climate change, we don't agree that passengers should have their well-earned Easter break holiday plans with family and friends disrupted.
"Passengers should contact their airlines for up-to-date information on their journeys."
One of the legal observers monitoring the arrests at Oxford Circus estimated at least 30 people were detained over the past two hours.
One of these was a boy of 15, she said, who quietly got to his feet and was led away by police as supporters cheered.
Other demonstrators could be seen avoiding police officers' attempts to communicate with them, by picking up their phones or starting conversations with their neighbours.
According to the London branch of Extinction Rebellion, actress Emma Thompson has joined protesters at Marble Arch - where police have allowed demonstrations to continue legally.
The Extinction Rebellion protests spread as far as New York in the USA yesterday.
Protesters took part in a 'die-in' as part of the demonstrations.
(Stephanie Keith/Getty)
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies