More the latter than the former! It's essentially a ploy for putting an end to a lack of control on the transport end of things. They want a voice-- or at least more of a compromise scenario where transports aren't resources to burn without a say in what goes on. Their hope is to get in, use hostages to negotiate a peaceful compromise, and probably take a hit on the chin for what they've done in exchange for a better system being set up.

Whether or not they'll succeed relies on what plays out in the plot itself.