Extinction Rebellion Trafford protests outside Barclays Bank in Altrincham

Today (Saturday 1st October) members of ‘Extinction Rebellion Trafford’ protested at the Altrincham branch of Barclays about the bank’s investments in fossil fuels.

Two giant dinosaurs waving “Fossil fuels are history” placards delighted children and drew lots of attention from passersby. The protesters handed out leaflets and stickers and made various speeches.

The activist group said the protest was a response to Barclays’ position as the biggest funder of fossil fuels in Europe. Sarah Donaldson, a local scientist, said: “Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, Barclays has invested around $167 billion in fossil fuels. While scientists are warning of catastrophe and the potential collapse of civilisation, Barclays is making huge profits by investing in coal, oil, gas, fracking, Arctic drilling and deforestation of the Amazon.”

Hannah Stanton, a mum of two from Stretford, said: “Climate breakdown is already here – we can see it in the scale of the disaster that’s happening in Pakistan,  in the severe hunger crisis in parts of Africa, in the record-breaking heatwaves in the UK and Europe this summer. Companies like Barclays are profiting from destroying people’s lives and our children’s future. I couldn’t look my kids in the eye if I didn’t try to stop them.”

Margaret Westbrook said: “As a grandma of three girls, I am terrified about what the future holds for them. We must ensure that fossil fuels stay in the ground and banks as well as other organisations can and need to help by changing where they invest.” Another protester, Clare, added, “I’m just an ordinary person. I want to at home chilling with my family but if we all keep doing that and avoiding reality our children face a bleak and brutal future.”

Deborah Densham, an OAP and activist, said: “I’m terrified of facing a tipping point when the climate crisis escalates out of control. We only have a short window to prevent this from happening. We encourage everyone who banks with Barclays to switch to a bank that won’t harm people and planet – you can do this at http://www.switchit.green.”

Many Barclays customers expressed shock at learning about the bank’s investments and said they would look into changing banks. 

Extinction Rebellion Trafford said their action was part of a wave of protests against Barclays that have taken place across the country, with many different groups involved. They vowed to continue protesting saying: “Until Barclays stops investing in the fossil fuels that are killing the planet and starts investing in our future.”

The group will be putting on a talk about the climate crisis at Altrincham Town Hall at 7.30pm on 11th October 2022 and all interested are invited

We have contacted Barclays for a statement on the protest today.