A group of around a dozen young activists have staged a second peaceful sit-in at the Bristol Broadmead branch of Barclays Bank. It follows their protest against the bank on October 31, the day it reopened after it closed to repair smashed windows.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion Youth Bristol (XRYB) entered the bank branch at around 10.30am on Friday (December 6) with the aim of engaging customers about what they see as the problems with Barclays, and to encourage them to stop banking with Barclays. The bank closed to the public as a result of the protest which involved activists entering the building and the police being called.
The activists are seeking to increase customer awareness of how Barclays invests its money, and of alternative banks that XRYB consider preferable. Barclays are a significant global investor in fossil fuels, at a time when a rapid transition to renewable energy is essential in the face of the climate crisis .
Barclays is ranked the number one investor in fossil fuels in Europe, and seventh biggest in the world having financed around $167 billion in fossil fuels between 2015 and 2021. It is also the fourth biggest financer of Arctic fossil fuel extraction.
As well as its fossil fuel funding, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign claim Barclays has alleged links with the arms trade.
Avon and Somerset Police have been approached for a comment.