EXTINCTION Rebellion Frome was back on the streets on Friday 2nd October.
The activists targeted two high street banks, Barclays and HSBC. They took a slow march, in the pouring rain from the Cheese and Grain, carrying photographs of people from across the world in their flooded homes. Dressed in black, they targeted the banks which they say play a key role in contributing to the climate crisis worldwide. They were accompanied by the Red Rebel Brigade.
Jenny Shackleford explained that since the 2016 Paris Agreement, Barclays has funded $118 billion of fossil fuel financing, and led fracking and coal power finance in Europe. HSBC has funded $85 billion.
Jenny said, “Pouring money into the extraction of fossil fuels is destroying ecosystems, contributing to climate breakdown and harming indigenous communities, all of which undermine the future of life on earth.”
The protest drew on the powerful images of Gideon Mendel’s photographs, “Drowning World” showing portraits of victims of flooding, particularly people in the majority/developing world .The activists are urging people to speak to their banks and other finance providers and to consider changing to a more ethical bank. The protest was peaceful and social distanced, with everybody wearing masks.
Photos: Dave Watts and Joe Taylor.
