Four Extinction Rebellion protesters have been arrested after chaining their necks to the front of a high street bank “funding the climate crisis”.
The campaigners were taking part in a nationwide day of action against Barclays Bank - which is one of the biggest investors in fossil fuels in the world.
Customers at the branch in Brighton's North Street were stepping over the protesters to get inside and do the banking. One man complained that he had to use the side entrance.
Speaking to The Argus on the front steps of Barclays in North Street, Brighton, the protesters called for an end to the bank investing in fossil fuels to avoid a “climate catastrophe”.
Nicola Harries, 67, a retired solicitor from Brighton, said: “We do not want any more oil out of the ground. We are outside Barclays today as a symbolic action because Barclays are chained to the fossil fuel industry.
“Until it breaks free, it is not going to help us or our grandchildren have a liveable future. Stop funding the oil and gas companies. Start reducing their support for those companies.
“One of the main concerns is that they have invested billions of pounds in the oil, gas and coal industries since the Paris Agreement in 2015.
“They’re not on any track to make sure we keep within the 1.5 degree heating of the world to avoid a climate catastrophe.
“The reason we’re here is because Barclays has to stop helping look for new oil and gas.”
Sussex Police found keys in the protesters’ bags and unlocked the chains, which were wrapped around their necks, feet and railings of the bank.
They were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass just after 4pm today.
David Gibson, Green councillor for Hanover and Elm Grove, was outside the bank watching on. He was not part of the protest.
Cllr Gibson said: “I’m supporting this protest against Barclays who are the number one funders of the fuel industry in this country.
“We need people like these peaceful protesters opposing this and pressuring Barclays to invest in renewable energy rather than fuels that will destroy the planet.”
A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Police attended a protest being held outside a business in North Street, Brighton, at around 1.15pm on Monday, November 14.
“Officers engaged with those present and the business in order to facilitate a peaceful protest and minimise disruption to the public.
“Four people have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and taken into custody.”
Barclays said it does not comment directly on protests but provided its position on climate change.
The bank said it was one of the first banks to set an ambition to become net zero by 2050 and that it was committed to align all of its financing activities with the goals and timelines of the Paris Agreement.
A spokeswoman said: “We are determined to play our part in addressing the urgent and complex challenge of climate change.
“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.”
Research from Market Forces, a campaign group against investing in fossil fuels, found that Barclays had financed £4.1 billion pounds for new fossil fuel projects from January 2021 until the Cop26 climate talks held in October of the same year.
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