The group advertised a two-day protest beginning on 17 October which included instructions to “block” both Belfast International and Belfast City Airport.
By Conor Coyle
September 23, 2025 at 6:00am BST
A plan from far-right anti-immigration protesters to “block” Northern Ireland’s main airports next month was scrapped less than an hour after being reported to the PSNI.
A wave of protests against what organisers refer to as “illegal immigration” have sparked across the north in recent months, including 15 small protests with total numbers of around 200 dubbed “Operation Shutdown” taking place last Thursday.
A follow-up “Operation Airplanes” was announced by a group known as the Official Protestant Coalition on social media on Saturday. The group has links to those who organised flag protests in Belfast in 2012 following a decision to fly the Union flag on selected days at Belfast City Hall.
The group advertised a two-day protest beginning on October 17 which included instructions to “block” both Belfast International and Belfast City Airport.
Instructions to followers said that it expected the airports to be blocked for precisely “1 hour and 23 minutes”.
Plans also included “blocking” Larne harbour overnight between 2am and 6am.
Protesters aimed to “target freight trucks delivering to specific supermarkets to maximise disruption”.
The organisers said everyone was welcome to participate in the blocking of the airports, “no matter your race, creed or colour”.
However, shortly after “Operation Airplanes” was announced, the group faced an online backlash from other prominent anti-immigration groups while the PSNI were also informed of the plans.
It’s understood the PSNI received a complaint shortly after 5pm regarding the operation, with detectives making enquiries over the next hour.
A public post from the Official Protestant Coalition announced the Operation had been cancelled less than an hour later.
All posts providing details on the botched plans were later removed from social media.
The Irish News asked the PSNI what, if any, engagement it had with the organisers of the protest in the time between it being publicly announced and subsequently cancelled.
Thursday’s protests saw a number of buses diverted due to protests at 15 locations across the north after a sustained effort was made in order to drum up support for the protests.
Organisers had calledfor roads to be blocked in effort to “take our country back” and highlight the consequences of “mass migration”.
One group representing migrants advised its members to avoid a long list of locations across the north where it was believed protests were going to take place, while the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust issued advice to pregnant mothers who may have been fearful of attending hospital due to the protests.
by Prestigious_Side6964
34 comments
Why would both sides do this?
Heads up if you’re travelling from Belfast in October, the group are still talking about it on fb. May be wise to plan ahead
I “planned” on dating Kelly Brook in my 20s
‘Operation airplanes’ lol 😆
Given how well the last protest went…
These idiots need jobs
>”Operation Airplanes”
😂😂😂😂😂😂
‘Everyone welcome regardless of creed and colour’ says ‘Official Protestant Coalition.’ Okay…
To be fair, these people don’t realise most people going back and forth are travelling for business or to visit friends and relatives. It also brings in and sends home our tourists.
The absolute divvies dont realise that the police would be out in force, stop and search will be happening and fines and prison sentences will be handed out like sweeties.
There was a whole crackdown in 2021 after the environmentalists caused a big fuss.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tougher-penalties-for-protests-causing-disruption-on-motorways#:~:text=The%20measures%20include%20a%20new,in%20the%20House%20of%20Lords
Obviously anti-Catholic/Nationalist in spirit too.
Are they backed by Loyalist terrorists?
Yawn 🥱 send them away on a plane ..one way ticket
“Operation airplanes” is the funniest fucking thing I’ve read in a while, was it written in crayon?
I’m sure the knuckledragger trying to organise this shit themselves when they got a call from the PSNI, rushed to take everything down.
So “stop the boats” is a bust and now we are onto planes. I cant wait to see Moygashels bonfire next year, it’ll have a fuckin monorail on it
These impotent fools just continue to embarrass themselves.
Also, “Operation Airplanes”!? Literal children could come up with better names instead of these dickless larpers.
>Plans also included “blocking” Larne harbour overnight between 2am and 6am. Protesters aimed to “target freight trucks delivering to specific supermarkets to maximise disruption”.
Y’see it’s massive screaming mistakes like this that make me wonder if the Official Protestant Coalition really is as official as they make themselves out to be. I think Greenisland Gary had more of a hand in shutting this down than the PSNI, personally.
As a Unionist that United Ireland looks even more tempting.
An average of 13 people per protest the last time. Nearly started feeling sorry for them for a second.
The best bit about this is, in the highly unlikely event shutting down the ports succeeded, they’d be complaining about there being nothing to buy in the shops.
Stopping airplanes to protest people arriving illegally. Usually brains of Britain on display by the uvf lovers.
I planned on becoming a billionaire by the weekend. Became a patient of daisy hill instead 🤣
2 for 1 special. They can reduce the chemtrails at the same time
Your da shouts at planes.
The hotel security guards aren’t normally armed.
Airport police tend to be.
Good luck 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hear me out – imagine coming back from your one holiday of the year, its the last flight into Belfast Intl and youre knackered.
You’ve been lounging for the past 10 days in 28 degree heat, sipping beers by the pool – you’re now greeted not just by the usual cold october wind and rain plus the depression of work on Monday, but also by wee Gaz questioning if youre a “foreiner” or worse a “leftist” and now delaying you getting home.
Another circle of hell itself would be created for the sheer wrath and fury that would descend quicker than the Jet2 flight you just arrived on.
Putrid little statelet indeed
Loyalist Air – no Irish coffee on board, only bitter.
Yes stop the planes… from your dear, dear Great(ish) Britain
I bet these protesters would call for the execution of the Just Stop Oil protesters.
If these people block the roads and prevent businesses doing their thing…is there any recourse whereby as a business owner you could sue the organiser or even the police for loss of earnings?
A loose form of “kiddknapping” as you’re preventing me or my vehicles from completing their tasks.
I’m sure there’ll be a big turnout like the last time.
I hate to break it to these munters but you ain’t surviving getting hit by an A320
Don’t we classify such acts as terrorism?
Or only when pro-environment protestors are doing it?
Anything like the numbers they got to turn out at there planned demonstrations last week I think the airports will be safe enough
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