On Wednesday 7th May, Barclays bank held it’s AGM at the QEII Conference Centre, near Parliament Square. And we joined a host of protest groups outside – bringing prayerful protest to the mix of ways people were getting their message of climate justice heard.
Banks have such as huge impact on the future we create, in what they choose to fund. And Barclays, as the biggest funder of fossil fuels in Europe, is a key player in funding a future of climate collapse. In fact, a recent report explains that banks including Barclays, have poured more than £75bn into companies developing huge fossil fuels projects.
CCA Groups Hold Vigils Across the UK
At the same time as the protest outside the London AGM, CCA groups were holding prayerful protests outside their local Barclays branches.
For example, in Loughborough, CCA members joined with others to hold a banner reading ‘No Future in Fossil Fuels’ outside their Barclays branch in the city centre. In Truro, Ginny held a one-person vigil outside of her local Barclays bank. She handed in a letter and stood outside praying for an hour, holding a sign. A couple of people stopped to encourage her while she prayed and lots of people slowed to read the sign.
CCA Bristol held a vigil of about 15 people outside Barclays bank in Broadmead for an hour and handed out flyers to Barclays customers, as well as the general public, urging them to switch to an ethical bank. Barclays security guards would not allow them into the bank to hand over a letter from CCA urging the bank to stop investing in fossil fuels.
However, the manager of the branch came to the door and collected the letter from Dave Mitchell who explained why it is vital that the bank urgently moves away from fossil fuels to protect the climate. The manager promised to pass the letter on to head office to convey our concerns about Barclays investment policies. One of the group, Karen Grattage said: “People were very positive about our being there and several people came to ask what they could do, and how they could switch banks”.
CCA Bristol were joined by local Palestine activists urging the bank to stop funding arms manufacturers who create weapons being used in Gaza and Palestine highlighting the dual issues of climate change and the war.
Cardiff CCA was also one of the groups which held a vigil outside their local Barclays branch. In the busy city centre filled with rugby fans, six CCA activists representing four different denominations prayed silently in the sunshine for an hour.
Fifty or so flyers were handed out to the public. They ended with prayers for peace and justice in the world.
Join a CCA Local Group Near You
CCA has groups all across the UK. They are supporting each other locally, to make a difference in this climate emergency. If you’d like to find the local CCA group near you click here.
Christian Climate Action 