XR gathered outside to protest the bank’s role as a fossil fuel financer.
Extinction Rebellion (XR) gathered outside Morgan Stanley’s office on Waterloo street today, protesting the bank’s role as a financer of fossil fuel extraction. According to the group, JP Morgan is the biggest banking funder of fossil fuel extraction, 33% ahead of their nearest competitor Citibank spending $316b on businesses that destroy the environment.
Speakers at the event focused on the impact of fossil fuel consumption on the global south, with the first speaker Bhavi Patel leading a call and response chart to “de de decolonise”. There was palpable anger in the crowd with booes echoing along the street as Patel stated: “when they say we have no money to address the ecological emergency they are lying”.
The Glasgow Guardian spoke to two of the youngest attendees in the crowd, aged nine, when asked why they came out today they said: “we want to make our voices heard and stop banks funding fossil fuels and digging them out the ground”.
Speaking to another attendee Mike from Sheffield said: “we brought a small delegation up not because it’s a bad event but we don’t believe good things are going to come out of it. I have sat outside Barclays bank in Sheffield for the past eight weeks telling people about how Banks finance the climate crisis and I am here today, on banking action day to do the same”.
The protest from outside the bank has since turned into a march as is currently heading down St Vincent street from Pitt street.
