Heated debate: business in Barclays Bank on North End was disrupted on Saturday with a sit-in demo by members of Fossil Free London
Barclays Bank on North End in Croydon town centre was targeted by activists again on Saturday.
A regular target for protesters over the bank’s profiting from petro-chemical multi-nationals and the world’s biggest polluters, this time it was the turn of Fossil Free London to stage a sit-in at the Barclays branch.
The campaigners were dressed in coats, hats, gloves and sleeping bags to highlight the fact that the rising cost of fossil fuels is driving millions of people into fuel poverty.
The protest took place on the same day that Fuel Poverty Action and Don’t Pay held warm-ups and vigils across the county.
Barclays is Europe’s largest funder of new oil and gas, despite warnings from the International Energy Agency that no new coal, oil or gas projects can be developed if we are to keep global heating below the crucial threshold of 1.5°C.
“Barclays bosses are getting stinking rich by funding the oil and gas industry, which is pushing up our energy bills and driving climate breakdown,” said Joanna Warrington from Fossil Free London.
“Both the climate crisis and the energy crisis have the same root cause: expensive, destructive oil and gas.
“And both have the same solution: affordable, clean energy that’s become more and more effective and popular over the last few years.
“Millions of people are freezing in their homes this winter because of the horrifying cost of energy. It’s time Barclays quit bankrolling big oil, and instead began investing in renewables and home insulation, which would make a real difference to heating bills and energy security.”
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