Campaigners say banks have blood on their hands
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Campaigners say banks have blood on their hands
(REUTERS)
Extinction Rebellion activists have gathered outside the Bank of England in the City of London, in what has been dubbed a ‘blood money’ march.
The campainers, staging a fifth day of protests that are due to last another week, are targeting all of London’s financial institutions.
The “Impossible Rebellion” organisers are calling for a halt to all investment in fossil fuels, which emit damaging greenhouse gases when burnt.
“We’ve only just begun disrupting the City of London - there’s still time to join us today, and the next day, until this government start acting responsibly and stop all new fossil fuel investments,” the group tweeted.
On Wednesday, Extinction Rebellion gathered outside the Brazilian Embassy to protest against the environmental destruction of the Amazon Rainforest and Brazil’s treatment of its indigenous people.
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Key Points Activists descend on Bank of England Fake blood thrown at Guildhall Police arrest two people
Show latest update 1630074913 Paris targets ‘slipping beyond reach'
The reason the rebels are calling for action is the increasing urgency over tackling the climate crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in a report earlier this month that the target for limiting global heating set out in the Paris Agreement - of limiting global warming to well below 2C - is slipping beyond reach.
According to its most comprehensive assessment yet, some of the effects of warming, such as global sea level rises, could be “irreversible for centuries to millennia”.
14 ways to fight climate crisis after ‘Code Red’ IPCC report warning The 234 scientists from 66 countries who authored the report stressed that humanity still has the ability to change course and avoid the worst consequences
Jane Dalton 27 August 2021 15:35
1630072999 Hundreds throng streets demanding action on fossil fuels
Hundreds of supporters called for action to end support for fossil fuels
(EPA)
Jane Dalton 27 August 2021 15:03
1630071919 XR action ‘a modest response to death and destruction’
A lobby group that works to “create a more just and equal world” has defended Extinction Rebellion’s direct action against financial institutions as “a legitimate non-violent political tactic”, calling it “a modest response to the death and destruction fuelled by the City”.
Daniel Willis, campaigns and policy manager at Global Justice Now, said: “It is heartening to see Extinction Rebellion highlight the role of the City of London in bankrolling climate chaos.
“Direct action is a legitimate nonviolent political tactic - and a modest response to the death and destruction fuelled by the City.
“Whether it’s financing fossil fuels, using trade rules to remove environmental protections, or demanding debt repayments that prevent the global south from investing in climate adaptation, these corporations and financial institutions are deeply embedded in the root cause of the climate crisis - our global economic system.”
Jane Dalton 27 August 2021 14:45
1630070966 Fake blood thrown at Capita HQ
There was applause from XR supporters as fake blood was spilled on the pavement outside the offices of Capita in the City of London.
Police appeared to arrest one woman.
Jane Dalton 27 August 2021 14:29
1630070174 UK banks ninth-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, research finds
A report earlier this year by Greenpeace UK and WWF claimed that UK banks and asset managers financed 805 million tonnes of damaging carbon dioxide in 2019, which would make the City of London the ninth-biggest emitter of CO2 in the world if it were a country – ranked higher than Germany.
The Independent’s James Moore has previously argued banks need to do more:
The City is urging climate action but its banks need to do more L&G wants greener homes while the City of London Corporation is launching a climate strategy. Yet still the banks fund carbon polluters, writes James Moore
Jane Dalton 27 August 2021 14:16
1630069739 Guildhall gets fake blood
Guildhall in the City was covered in fake blood
(Celine Wadhera)
Jane Dalton 27 August 2021 14:08
1630069339 Police arrest two demonstrators
Police arrested and led away two people in handcuffs.
“Go to hell, Shell,” said one man arrested. A woman was grabbed by police trying to open a bag of red ‘bloody’ water, writes reporter Celine Wadhera.
Jane Dalton 27 August 2021 14:02
1630069179 ‘Blood money’ march against fossil fuel investment
Extinction Rebellion supporters descended on the Bank of England in the City of London from midday, calling for an end to investment in fossil fuels.
In what they termed a “blood money” march, the crowds carrying banners saying “People before profit” walked through streets, stopping traffic, and daubed Guildhall in red paint.
The group said they had only just started to disrupt the City of London.
Jane Dalton 27 August 2021 13:59
1630066605 Paint daubed on bank
Demonstrators have daubed the outside of Standard Chartered bank in the City of London with red paint and handprints.
There were chants of “Extinction Rebellion - the people united will never be defeated”.
(Celine Wadhera)
Jane Dalton 27 August 2021 13:16