Extinction Rebellion protestors gathered outside the North Street branch of Barclays bank in Brighton this week to protest it’s investments in fossil fuels. The movement is driven by the impetus to confront governments and businesses on any practises that may be harming the environment. Written by Mozen Abdulgadir
A spokesman for the Extinction Rebellion organisation said: “Barclays has invested £20.94 Billion in fossil fuels since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
“This year the International Energy Agency stated that all new investments in fossil fuels must cease this year if we are to have any hope to keeping global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees centigrade.
He added: “After the Cop26 Conference in Glasgow last month, no one can be in any doubt about the fact that humanity is facing a Code Red in terms of climate.
“And yet banks like Barclays continue to do business as if there is no climate emergency.”
And so, not for the first time, protestors found themselves holding signs outside the bank, which has been targeted previously according to protestor Nicola Harries, a retired solicitor from Brighton, who said: “ We protest regularly outside Barclays Bank to draw attention to the Bank’s appalling record of investment in fossil fuels.
“We encourage the public to consider transferring their custom to another bank that supports the aim of protecting our planet.
“We would like to be able to stop these regular protests, but we cannot do that until we see that Barclays has taken urgent and immediate steps to change their investment policy.
“We owe it to all of our children and grandchildren to make their futures secure, and to save this planet and all living creatures from the very real threat of extinction.”
Slogans such as “our house is on fire” and “people or profit” were seen on placards held by protestors. Extinction Rebellion are still using nonviolent methods to bring about change allbeit causing much inconvenience
