there was no fucking gatwick drone. What, someone just appeared out of nowhere with the tech to get around airport air traffic security, used it to disrupt one of europe's (world's?) busiest transport hubs, and then just stuffed it away in their cupboard? What, no pictures ever appeared of the drone, despite it being the main news story on this fair isle, because apparently all anyone fucking cares about here is London transport - better fucking hand away our right to protest because somewhere a Londoner is being held up in traffic! No-one turned up with any fucking evidence of this sophisticated multi-drone charging hub which was apparently needed to maintain this level of disruption? The MoD rocking up with big fuck-off anti-drone speakers or whatever the fuck they had did nothing, until they announced they were there? The one arrest the polis made was just two unlucky cunts the next town over who got dobbed in because their knuckle-dragging neighbours were scared and confused by the floating camera they played with?
There was no fucking gatwick drone and this gets entirely ignored because people don't like thinking about how everyone, themself included, are fucking idiots who can very easily get taken in by a generic panic, and no-one wants to admit they grounded their flagship airport based on fucking playground rumours.
within an hour there were eight sightings of a drone by police, and apparently no fewer than 170 sightings overall from various people in the area during the course of the incident, but no photos or video ever surfaced, and the authorities never even released an official description of the drone.
the military was deployed, alongside no fewer than six local police forces; ultimately two people living nearby who happened to be drone enthusiasts were arrested for two days and then released without charge, then were awarded £200,000 for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment in a settlement.
truly an enormous fuckup, and one in a vast constellation of recent mass panic incidents that it feels like everyone is refusing to talk about.
