Climate Camp launches direct action salvo
By Liz Stephens and Ian Dunt
Climate Camp activists took direct action against a number of locations in central London this morning.
Protesters blockaded the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in the City in protest over the bank’s investments in fossil fuel projects, unfurling banners reading “RBS: Under New Ownership”.
The bank was temporarily closed as a result of the action.
Protesters dressed as construction workers used step ladders and bicycle locks to seal off the entrance to the building in Bishopsgate.
Other activists superglued themselves together inside the building to form a human blockade. Those activists were eventually removed by police and arrested under suspicion of aggravated trespass. Solvent was poured over their hands to free them from each other.
One of the protestors arrested – Chico Carino – told politics.co.uk: “The police are at liberty to consider us criminals but the real criminals are people like E.ON that RBS are funding.”
Protester James Clarke said: “RBS is 70 per cent owned by the public but it is completely against the public interest for our money to be used to fund climate change.
“Yet again, the banks are putting profit over people”.
Another activist, Oli Sumerling, said: “We need to transform RBS into the ‘Royal Bank of Sustainability’.”
Around 11:00 GMT, at the height of the protest, there were 100 protestors outside the bank’s headquarters. There were six arrests.
When asked by politics.co.uk why RBS had been chosen, activist Jesse Harris, said the bank gave a £6 billion loan to E.ON after the banking bailout.
“Climate Camp is involved in all sorts of different actions, from letter writing to direct action but this is an urgent matter and we are running out of time,” he said.
Meanwhile, naked activists occupied the roof and lobby of Edelman PR in Victoria Street. Edelman PR are the firm behind E.ON’s PR for the Kingsnorth coal fired power station.
Activist Alice Fielding said: “Edelman PR are nothing more than new coal spin doctors intent on making profit out of EON’s activities at the expense of the global climate.”
Spokesman Richard Smith told politics.co.uk the stunt was designed to “expose the naked truth”.
Around 80 activists gathered in Trafalger Square, before heading on to the National Portrait Gallery and the Canadian Embassy.
