In June 2024, Telegram channels reported that activists of the Just Stop Oil movement poured paint on the business jet of an American singer at one of London airports. We have verified the accuracy of such publications.
On June 20 and 21, a message spread on Telegram that activists of the radical environmental movement Just Stop Oil illegally entered the territory of London Stansted Airport and poured orange paint on two private planes. It was alleged that one of them belonged to American singer Taylor Swift, who flew to the UK as part of her tour.
Similar publications appeared, for example, in the channels “VPS"(383,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), "Country politics"(79,000), "Voice of the country"(65,000), "Sobchak"(64,000), "Tucker Carlson for Russia"(56,000), Neplaton (39,000) and "Celebrity House"(29,000). At the same time, other channels claimed that the activists “confused” the planes and the Swift business jet was not damaged during the action. They wrote about this, in particular, “KB"(227,000 views), "QC"(133,000), News.ru (38,000) "Japeg Malevich"(33,000) and Share (25,000). I combined these two versions of events in my post “Nemorgenstern"(130,000 views): The title of the post says that "environmental activists poured paint on Taylor Swift's plane," and at the end of the post it is stated that "none of the [damaged] planes belonged to the star." At the same time, some channels - among them "New edition"(73,000) and SVTV News (35,000) - they claimed that the celebrity’s business jet was not at all at the airfield where the activists made their way.
Just Stop Oil is a radical environmental movement that emerged in the UK in 2022. Its members are holding events aimed at drawing public attention to the problem of climate change and putting pressure on the British government to commit to a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels. Traffic participants are trying to disrupt football matches And competitions on motorsport, poured over soup pictures and glued themselves to the frames in the galleries, blocking roads And gas stations, spray paint on government buildings And architectural monuments.
The video, which usually accompanies posts about the Swift plane in Telegram channels, was published by the movement itself - on the morning of June 20, 2024 it appeared on the Just Stop Oil account on the social network X. The caption for the video read: “Just Stop Oil pours paint on private jets a few hours after the Taylor Swift business jet lands. Jennifer and Cole cut the fence at the private airfield in Stansted where the Swift plane is parked, thereby demanding an urgent agreement to end the use of fossil fuels by 2030."
On the movement website published more detailed press release. It follows that the action was carried out by two British women who entered the business jet parking lot at Stansted Airport and, using paint-filled fire extinguishers, painted two private planes. Often activists use for such purposes, tinted starch, which, according to them, is easily washed off by rain, but there is no corresponding clarification in this press release. The text emphasizes that the action was carried out “several hours after Taylor Swift landed,” but the owners of the affected aircraft were not named. Later activists detained.
The mention of the singer in this press release is not accidental. Activists from different countries have already some years reproach Swift that she (like other celebrities) ignores climate change by continuing to fly on business jets even when she can choose a scheduled passenger plane or ground transportation. In February 2024, the pop diva’s lawyers even threatened file a lawsuit against an American student who, using open sources, tracks the flights of several artists and billionaires, and then counts, Which carbon footprint they left. Representatives of the artist explained her dissatisfaction by the fact that the dissemination of information about her movements could threaten her safety.
In June 2024, American singer gave a series of concerts in the UK and Ireland as part of his Eras tour. British edition of The Independent reportedthat her plane landed in Stansted on June 19 at 22:54 local time. Tabloid The Mirror even published several photos taken shortly after the jet landed. However, judging by pictures And messages media, the pop diva herself was not on board - her father Scott Swift, who often accompanies daughter travels and attends concerts. This is confirmed by data from tracking sites - business jet arrived from the USA, while Swift was already in the UK: on June 18 she performed in Cardiff, from 21 to 23 June 2024 took place three shows in London.
You can determine who the plane is registered to using the unique registration number. number, which is usually applied to the tail. First letter of the number indicates to the country of registration (for example, for the USA this is the letter N), followed by a combination of numbers and letters. The video published by Just Stop Oil shows the number of one of the planes covered in paint - N1875A. By data US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), this Gulfstream G650ER business jet is registered to an unnamed trustee of US Bank in Wilmington, Delaware. No documents or publications linking this plane with the pop diva could be found.
Judging by the numerous photos in Media, Swift most often travels on her private jet Falcon 7X with tail number N621MM. By data FAA, this jet is owned by the company Island Jet Inc.whose interests represents the same agency that works with Taylor Swift Productions. And in financial report The singer's father has records indicating the connection of the Swift family with this company. In addition, the FAA regularly publishes a list of private aircraft and operators who are authorized to operate a specific aircraft. In the latest version of this document for April 2024 it is written that only Firefly Entertainment, Inc., which has permission to fly the N621MM aircraft provides services for organizing events, management and personal services for the singer and her family.
Judging by open data, Swift does not have any other private jets. This confirm and the singer’s lawyers, clarifying that we are talking specifically about the Falcon 7X with the number N621MM. Previously, the star had another business jet, a Falcon 900 with the number N898TS, but in February 2024 Swift sold.
In the Just Stop Oil video, the license plate of the second plane was not included in the frame, but several details give reason to believe that it does not belong to the singer. Judging by the unusual oval shape of the windows, this is a business jet manufactured Gulfstream. The Falcon 7X has a different shaped window and, more importantly, a third engine located on the roof in front of the tail of the aircraft. Finally, the Swift plane has a registration number inflicted on the side engines on both sides, and the business jet from the video has no identification marks in this part of the fuselage.
As for the claims that the pop diva’s plane was not in Stansted at all during the Just Stop Oil campaign, they are refuted by data from tracking sites - the plane arrived at London airport on June 19, nine days later flew away to Dublin (Swift’s concerts took place there on June 28–30), and a day later he went to the USA. Airport representative in media comments reportedthat the business jet was not in the open parking lot where the activists made their way.
Thus, activists did throw paint on two private jets at London Stansted Airport, but neither of them belonged to Taylor Swift or her affiliated people and organizations. There was no confirmation that Just Stop Oil planned to attack the singer’s business jet, but they made a mistake.
Cover photo: social networks
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