St Albans Extinction Rebellion have targeted Barclays through a ‘dirty protest’ targeting the bank’s role in the climate crisis.
Dressed in all black and covered in black oil activists Sue Hampton and Martin Roy gathered in front of the bank in the city.
The action on July 6 was part of the group’s work to shine a light on the bank’s role in funding fossil fuel companies.
Sue, from Berkhamsted said: “Barclays are Europe’s largest financer of fossil fuel projects. In just three years from 2016 to 2018, Barclays provided $85 billion in funding to fossil fuel companies.
“Of this, $24 billion was for companies heavily involved in expanding the extraction and use of fossil fuels – which is the exact opposite of what should be happening. Their actions are destroying the climate on which our lives, and the lives of our children and grandchildren depend.”
Martin Roy, from Hemel Hempstead continued: “Barclays are directly contributing to the worsening climate emergency. If you bank with Barclays, they use your money to support exploration for more oil, more gas, and more coal. Put simply, banking with Barclays means more flooding, more wildfires, more droughts, and more deadly heatwaves.”
Graham Cox, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion said the group were grateful to the pair for the protest.
He said: “The appalling heatwaves and deaths in Canada, the US, and Scandinavia give us a glimpse of what is in store for us all in the coming years. It beggars belief that, in spite of this deadly situation, Barclays continue to profit from financing an industry that is threatening life on earth.”
Barclays declined to comment.
Picture credit Clare Hobba
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