Protestors in Barclays Bank this Saturday.

Cost of Living Protest in Barclays Bank

Don’t Pay UK and Extinction Rebellion Hastings & St Leonards (XRHSL) staged a Warm Up action at Barclays in Hastings town centre on Saturday 3 December  from 12.30 to 2.30 pm. Teresa Thornhill reports on the second occupation of Barclays Bank in the last three weeks.

Protesters wrapped in blankets and clutching hot water bottles entered the bank for a peaceful protest to highlight Barclays’ investments in oil and gas companies that fuel the cost of living crisis and the climate emergency.

The protest was part of the National Day of Action on Fuel Poverty called by the Warm This Winter coalition. Warm-Ups took place across the UK in towns and cities including Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol and London in support of Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy For All campaign, and the Don’t Pay UK campaign. Groups took over spaces in public to show that people cannot afford to heat their homes.

Warm This Winter coalition  is demanding the government provides more support for people struggling with energy bills this winter and a coherent plan to lower bills in future through a national rollout of insulation and by rapidly moving the UK away from gas and onto cheaper renewable energy. Warm this Winter partners include the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, WWF UK, Uplift, Oxfam GB, Women’s Institute, The Climate Coalition, Save the Children and Greenpeace UK.

As a result of rising energy costs, around 2.2 million people have fallen into fuel poverty in the past year, raising the total figure to 6.7 million in the UK. It is predicted this will rise to 8.6 million when bills climb once again in April 2023.

Charmian Kenner of Don’t Pay UK said ‘We’re holding the Warm Up at Barclays because they’re the biggest funder of oil and gas in Europe. I’m a pensioner and many of us are freezing at home as energy prices hit the roof. Fossil fuel companies are making billions in profits while ruining us and the planet.’

Jaen Loftin, a teaching assistant and member of XRHSL, said ‘I was shocked to see a sandwich board outside Barclays proclaiming that they want to help customers with the cost of living. In reality they fund the very companies that are causing this crisis. We need affordable green energy now, and Barclays say they’re investing in renewables but they’re putting billions more into fossil fuels.’

According to the Banking on Climate Chaos report 2022, Barclays invested nearly £20 billion in fossil fuels last year. Meanwhile Shell and BP doubled their profits between July and September this year compared to the same period in 2021, making £8.2 billion and £7.1 billion respectively.[vii] Fossil fuels are responsible for large volumes of greenhouse gas emissions that have already pushed the climate to the brink of collapse.

The protesters encouraged Barclays customers to move their money to a high street bank with climate-friendly policies such as Nationwide, or Triodos Bank which invests in green energy that will cut the cost of living and benefit the environment.

John Lynes, 94, said ‘I’m at the Warm Up because I want a positive green future for my great-great-grandchildren, where we have renewable energy and don’t depend on greedy oil and gas companies. Barclays must stop financing the fossil fuel climate-wreckers now.’

The Hastings Branch of Barclays Bank was also targetted by climate change  protestors on Monday 14 November as part of a global day of action to coincide with the COP27 talks, covered in Hastings Online Times. Barclays Bank has the highest level of investment in fossil fuel industries of all the High Street banks.

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