Extinction Rebellion stage protest outside bank in Birmingham
The climate activist group targeted Barclays as they claim the bank invests in fossil fuels
Last updated 14th Nov 2022
Extinction Rebellion today protested outside Barclays Bank in Birmingham City Centre. The climate activists group threw black paint against the doors of the bank.
The group also sprayed the words “Europe’s biggest fossil funder” at the entrance to the bank.
In addition, the group placed a fake place cordon around the bank with the words “Climate Crime Scene” while follow activists held a sign reading “This is an intervention”.
Four people have been arrested after damage was caused to Barclay’s Bank on High Street in Ladywood this morning. Officers responded to reports that damage had been caused to the bank during a protest. They have been taken into custody on suspicion of causing criminal damage.
A spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion Birmingham tweeted that Barclays Bank needs to cut ties with Fossil Fuels.
This new Extinction Rebellion protest takes place during COP 27, where global leaders have gathered in Egypt to tackle climate change.
Protester Matthew, 41, of Selly Park, says “I’m acting today because the world is running out of time to prevent global warming from tipping over 1.5 degrees. Fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas, are the industries of the past, and Barclays needs to switch its investment from these old polluting industries to new sources of renewable energy that will generate thousands of new jobs for the people of Birmingham and the Midlands”.
A Barclays spokesperson said: “We are determined to play our part in addressing the urgent and complex challenge of climate change. In March 2020 we were one of the first banks to set an ambition to become net zero by 2050, across all of our direct and indirect emissions, and we committed to align all of our financing activities with the goals and timelines of the Paris Agreement.
"We have a three-part strategy to turn that ambition into action: achieving net zero operations, reducing our financed emissions, and financing the transition. In practice, this means we have set 2030 targets to reduce our financed emissions in four of the highest emitting sectors in our financing portfolio, with additional 2025 targets for the two highest-emitting sectors – energy and power. We have also provided over £80bn of green financing and we are investing our own capital – £175m – into innovative, green start-ups.”