Four protestors occupied Barclays Bank in Hastings town centre.

Climate sit-in shuts down Barclays Bank

Today, Monday 14 November, there were protests at more than 100 branches of Barclays Bank across the UK. Campaigners were highlighting Barclays’ investment in fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas). HOT’s Erica Smith witnessed the protest at the Hastings branch in the pedestrian area opposite Queens Arcade.

Barclays shut 90 minutes early today after four local climate campaigners from Extinction Rebellion (XR) Hastings & St Leonards staged a peaceful sit-in inside the bank. Bank staff called the police, but no arrests were made and the protestors decided to end their occupation after bank staff decided to close the branch at 3pm, instead of its usual 4.30pm closing time. The campaigners were careful to cause no obstruction to customers, and it was the bank staff who made the decision to close the branch early.

XR parents and protestors Grace and Arran held up notices reading “Barclays, no.1 Fracking Funder” and “Stop funding Extinction.  We won’t die quietly for your profits and greed” whilst they peacefully occupied the branch. XR activist David said: “I’m a grandfather and great-grandfather and I’m here because I want Barclays to stop killing the planet.”

Elsewhere in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, XR supporters occupied and flyposted branches, painted buildings with red paint and fake oil and held die-ins and street theatre performances.

Barclays is the UK’s and Europe’s largest financier of fossil fuels, having provided over $166 billion in finance to the fossil fuel sector since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Burning fossil fuels (oil, coal & gas) is the main driver of climate change.

Last year the International Energy Agency (IEA) clearly stated that if the world is serious about dealing with the climate crisis ‘there can be no new investments in oil, gas and coal, from now’. Yet Barclays is continuing to fund fossil fuel expansion, providing over $4 billion in finance 2021 to key oil, gas, and coal companies that are expanding fossil fuels.

During COP26 last October, amongst other actions, a peaceful protest organised by Divest East Sussex was held outside Barclays Bank (reported by Hastings Online Times). Today’s occupation of the bank reflects the frustration that local residents feel – one year on and there has still been no move by Barclays to address climate change.

Holding a giant Christmas cracker, XR protestor Lynne said:  “It’s crackers that Barclays continues to act for the oil giants when the value of fossil fuel shares is now well below Green Energy investments. Barclays is one of the major investors in fossil fuel extraction and it is showing no sign of reducing its investment in fossil fuels. It is easy to feel powerless about climate change, but if many of us switch to a greener bank or building society it will have a real impact on the policies of the major high street banks.”

Both protestor Billy and passer-by Corinna had recently moved their bank accounts from HSBC – one of the top three High Street banks which invest in fossil fuels – to Nationwide building society which has branches in both Hastings and St Leonards and a climate-friendly investment policy.

XR member Jessica Townsend said “Everyone should know that Barclays is directly involved in financing a new coalmine in Cumbria which is putting the lives of my grandchildren – and millions of others across the world – at risk.”

Staff at the Barclays Bank refused to comment and at time of going to press, no member of staff at Barclays national press office had responded to HOT’s request for a statement.

To find out how you can campaign to stop climate change, visit XR Hastings and St Leonards, Divest East Sussex and Defund Climate Chaos websites.

Also in: Campaigns