Oswestry climate protesters tell Barclays to clean up its act

A group of ‘dirty scrubbers’ brought sponges, mops and buckets in an attempt to clean up ‘Europe’s dirtiest bank’. Scrubbing the bank’s windows and polishing the interior, the group called out Barclays for investing in fossil fuels and accusing it of ‘greenwash’.

Mike Bastow, a spokesperson for XR Oswestry & Borders, said: "We decided to clean Barclays because they are the dirtiest bank in Europe, investing billions in oil, gas and fracking. Since the Paris Agreement 2015, Barclays has funnelled more money into fossil fuel projects than any other bank in Europe, including a whopping £20b in 2020 alone. Instead of helping us solve the climate crisis, Barclays is actively making it worse, while laughing all the way to the bank as they make massive profits."

During the protest, Barclays customers were given leaflets explaining how to switch banks. A survey last year found that almost 80% of Barclays customers were unaware of their bank’s fossil fuel investments and that almost three million customers would consider switching to more ethical banks.

The Oswestry protest was part of a wider series of protests against Barclays rolling out across Wales and the Midlands during February called ‘Better Without Barclays’. Activists plan to call out the bank’s continued refusal to stop investing in fossil fuels across the month with a variety of different protests.   

Says Mike Bastow: "The climate emergency is the biggest threat we face. As individuals, we’re all trying to cut our carbon footprints, but it’s pointless if our banks are actively funding the fossil fuel industry and making huge profits by killing the planet.

"The government says it cares about the climate, yet HMRC uses Barclays to process its payments. That means our taxes are being used to fund new oil and gas expansion that will stop us from meeting the Paris Agreement targets. It is madness but it will only stop if people speak out."