British climate activist Dan Glass rumored to be planning self-immolation stunt protest to raise the ante for a dramatic photo op

The stuntman

British climate activist Dan Glass rumored to be planning self-immolation stunt protest to raise the ante for a dramatic photo op to help raise awareness of need to stop global warming NOW!

Dan Glass is 25, 26. He’s been involved with Plane Stupid, the direct action organisation, who raise awareness about the dangers of airport expansion and carbon emission through high-profile stunts, for two years. Recently, he was given an award for his work with communities affected by Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports by Gordon Brown, and used the opportunity to superglue himself to the Prime Minister’s sleeve.

His next stunt might be this one: He is rumored to be planning self-immolation stunt protest to raise the ante for a dramatic photo op.

"I’m not really from an environmentalist, or even a liberal, background. I’d been reading about climate change for a while, and to me, this just seems like it’s the biggest issue of our time – the defining issue of our generation. It just seemed logical to try and do something about it: why wouldn’t you?

‘We’re a very unique generation and we’ve got a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. We’re the first generation who have been faced with the problem of climate change who also know how to deal with it. And we’ve got this window of opportunity, essentially, to salvage something of the world for humanity, for the future.

‘I take a lot of inspiration from my family, who were Holocaust survivors. It’s always been instilled in me that if you can tackle injustice, if there’s the opportunity, grab it with both hands; that it’s important to stand up to adversity, and that it’s important to challenge prevalent laws, as well.

Right now big business is getting away with destroying the planet, legally, and the people who challenge that are seen to be acting illegally; in pre-Second World War Germany, Naziism was enshrined in the law, and it was important to challenge that if you could. So that’s where I get my motivation from; that sometimes, the law can be wrong, and if you think it is, you shouldn’t just accept it.

‘I found it outrageous that I was going to be getting an award for work with communities affected by the aviation industry from a man who’s wedded to the aviation industry. If Glasgow Airport’s expansion goes ahead, the residents of Clydebank, who have not been consulted, are going to be exposed to seriously dangerous levels of noise and air pollution; these are his voters. His electorate.

‘As regards the Gordon Brown incident, the opportunity was just too good, so I took some Superglue in pouches attached to my boxers and cut a hole in my trouser pocket and stuck myself to him when I shook his hand. I said ‘This is a peaceful protest in line with Plane Stupid’s commitment to direct, non-violent action. You cannot shake off climate change, just like you can’t shake me off your arm’. There was lots of support in the audience by that point: I think that was perhaps why I didn’t get arrested! Really, though, the situation of climate change is so dire you could really just sit about crying all day, so making your point in a humorous and inclusive way, without rendering the issue superficial, is really important.’ (Interview by Kirstin Innes, additional rumor reporting by Northward Ho.)