Barclays bank extinction rebellion protest in Worcester High Street

Campaigners with placards gathered outside Barclays bank in Worcester High Street in the city centre, some making their point by wearing oil cans on their heads.

However, a spokesperson for Barclays says the bank is determined to address climate change and is investing in green energy.

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At 11.30am today Extinction Rebellion (XR) targeted Barclays Bank on High Street, Worcester 'to draw attention to its continued financing of fossil fuels'.

ACTION: Extinction Rebellion outside Barclays Bank in Worcester High Street (Image: Extinction Rebellion)

Some activists were dressed as cleaners and could be seen dusting the windows of the local branch, asking the bank to clean up its act, whilst others were dressed as bankers with oil canisters as heads.

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A spokesperson said: "Barclays is the UK’s and Europe's largest financier of fossil fuels. Although the International Energy Agency (IEA) says “there is no need for investment in new fossil fuel supply” last year Barclays invested $19.583 billion in fossil fuels. Since the Paris Climate Agreement their total investment in fossil fuels is $144.897 billion."

Penny, 64, a retired University Welfare Officer from Malvern said: “I’m here to take part in this peaceful protest today because it is vital that we demand Barclays stop funding ecological destruction. An increasing number of banks have prohibited financing for Arctic oil and gas projects, but Barclays has failed to join them and continues to be Europe’s #1 funder of Coal power.”

Outside the building, there were banners saying 'WARNING - Barclays killing our future' and activists were giving out leaflets to local shoppers encouraging them to choose a more ethical bank.

The protest follows Barclays' announcement of much higher than expected pre-tax profits for the quarter of nearly £2bn.

With slogans including 'our children deserve a future' and 'the ice caps are melting, seas are rising, act now' the group made its feelings known with the Cop27 climate conference underway.

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CLEAR: This was one of the visually striking ways activists made their point outside Barclays Bank (Image: Newsquest)

The campaigners said Barclays was 'Europe's largest investor in fossil fuels' and was 'pouring billions into tar sands, arctic oil and gas, fracking, new pipelines, coal mining and coal utilities'.

"Barclays is driving the destruction of our planet," said one slogan on a flyer in the style of a banknote but with a weeping face emblazoned on an image of the globe in place of that of the sovereign. The note also featured a skull and cross-bones motif. 

A Barclays spokesperson said: “We are determined to play our part in addressing the urgent and complex challenge of climate change.

"In March 2020 we were one of the first banks to set an ambition to become net zero by 2050, across all of our direct and indirect emissions, and we committed to align all of our financing activities with the goals and timelines of the Paris Agreement. We have a three-part strategy to turn that ambition into action: achieving net zero operations, reducing our financed emissions, and financing the transition.

"In practice, this means we have set 2030 targets to reduce our financed emissions in four of the highest emitting sectors in our financing portfolio, with additional 2025 targets for the two highest-emitting sectors – energy and power. We have also provided over £80bn of green financing and we are investing our own capital – £175m – into innovative, green start-ups.”