Extinction Rebellion’s die-in protest took place in front Mercer, an asset management company, to speak out against their policies.
On Monday 8 November, Extinction Rebellion (XR) met in front of the Gallery of Modern Art at 11.30am to form a die-in protest in front of Mercer in George Square. The event was planned as non-arrestable action, with an XR member stating that they would like as many bodies as possible. The members marched from the Gallery of Modern Art to George Square in anticipation of police obstruction.
The police arrived shortly after the group left the Gallery of Modern Art and stood along the curb observing. Members of XR layed on the ground for the die-in protest, their feet pointed towards the road, with some members covered from head to toe in white sheets. An XR member placed signs on their still bodies.
Some signs included statements such as “Code Red for Humanity” and “greed kills”, while other signs stated simple words regarding the effects of climate change, including, “drought”, “pandemic”, “burning”, “starvation” and “disease”. Cardboard headstones were placed among the protestors, one of them reading, “RIP Annual Climate Related Deaths, Globally 5,000,000; Europe 70,000”. An XR member noted: “We are in front of an asset management company who are completely fine with the idea of Global Warming.”
One of the leaders of the event made a statement about why they chose to protest outside of Mercer, explaining: “We are here today to call out Mercer, an asset management company, that has been advising local government pension funds and others, that their profits will be unaffected in a two degrees, three degrees, four degrees rise of temperature.” She continued, “They have even said that . . . profits will increase most of all if we get to two degrees by 2030 rather than later. This is obscene.” She turned, directly addressing the Mercer building behind her: “Mercer… abandon your dodgy, flawed, so-called science and look at the reality of two degrees global heating.”
A woman began singing as the other XR members remained still on the pavement. During her song, the XR Red Brigade arrived, walking amongst the bodies of the XR members. The woman restarted her song, asking observers and members of XR who were not participating in the die-in to sing along with her.
The protest lasted approximately 40 minutes, and no arrests were made.
A reality check from outside COP. What’s happening inside? Hopefully more than blah, blah, blah .
Pension funds who are advised by Mercer need to take a long hard look at the science behind these claims and take urgent, honest action.
Great to see this. In Shropshire, our pension fund is voting on divestment on 26 Nov. I understand that Mercer has advised the fund that 2C warming will be profitable for the fund and 4C will only create a 0.07% loss in profits. The climate science says 4C = potential collapse of civilisation, so I don’t understand how this advice can be sound!! How can the fund make an informed decision about divesting from fossil fuel companies without the full facts?