THREE women were arrested after climate activists scaled buildings in a targeted demonstration against an airline today.

Members of Extinction Rebellion marched through Brighton this afternoon before enacting a number of stunts outside the British Airways i360 on Brighton seafront.

Demonstrators climbed onto the roof at the West Beach Cafe and Bar within the i360 complex and removed a British Airways flag, replacing it with an Extinction Rebellion banner which read "Our house is on fire".

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "We have arrested three women on suspicion of aggravated trespassing following a static protest in Brighton this afternoon.

"Traffic is now flowing as normal in the area. We thank everyone for their patience and cooperation while the situation was dealt with."

Protesters also attached 10-metre long banners to railings and spray-painted the street with slogans which read: "The sea levels are rising and so are we", and “BA, your flights are killing us".

READ MORE: Activists hang huge protest banner on pier ahead of city centre march

The environmental campaign group were joined by Black Lives Matter protesters on the "We Want to Live" march, who are calling on Brighton and Hove City Council to "end the British Airways sponsorship of the i360".

A spokesman for Black Lives Matter said: "Deportation flights have still gone ahead in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, putting already endangered lives at an even greater risk, and airlines have profited from this.

The Argus: Extinction Rebellion protesters marching in Brighton city centre today. Photo: Sussex Police Liaison TeamExtinction Rebellion protesters marching in Brighton city centre today. Photo: Sussex Police Liaison Team

"British Airways is complicit in the hostile environment and make £30million plus per year from racist deportation contracts with the Home Office.

“If Brighton and Hove is to become an anti-racist city, we cannot have a tower looming over us that stands for racism, xenophobia, and social injustice. We cannot have a landmark that represents monetary profit over black and brown lives.”

A spokesman for British Airways said: "It is a legal requirement for all UK airlines to deport people when asked to do so by the Home Office. 

"Airlines only have the right to refuse deportees on the basis that they feel there is a threat to the safety or security of the aircraft, its passengers or the individual.

"We are not given any personal information about the individual being deported, including their race, sexuality, or why they are being deported.

"The process we follow is a full risk assessment, with the Home Office, which considers the safety of the individual, our customers and crew on the flight.​"

A large Extinction Rebellion banner was also hung across the West Pier in Brighton opposite the i360 last night, which read "Our house is on fire".

The Argus:

Extinction Rebellion Brighton member Claudia Fisher, 58, said: "We are at an intersection of global crises.

"Climate breakdown, ecological collapse, Covid-19, racial injustice – all are symptoms of a toxic system that is driving us to extinction. We cannot carry on like this. The system is killing us.

"The government knows the truth and still they pave the way for future crises. They ignored warnings about coronavirus and tens of thousands have died. Now they’re ignoring predictions the world will pass 1.5C in the next five years.

"Enough is enough. We want to live."

Extinction Rebellion is calling for the government to pass the Climate and Ecological Emergency bill, and activists from around the country are heading to the capital next week for a "national rebellion".