Extinction Rebellion Banbury holds 'vigil' in objection to funding of fossil fuels

Members of Extinction Rebellion Banbury put up posters and stickers outside the Barclays and HSBC bank branches in Banbury as part of a protest to the funding of fossil fuel extracting companies.

Banbury XR member Rachel Payne held a 'lone vigil' outside HSBC on Friday afternoon, November 20, as part of a nationwide movement across the country.

The group put up posters, which were designed to draw attention to the banks’ funding of fossil fuel extracting companies like Adani, who are digging a controversial coal mine in Australia.

Milcombe resident Rachel Payne, who has five children and five grandchildren, said: "I put these posters together for eye-catching and inviting conversations with interested passers by.

"But on a wet afternoon in lockdown, there was very little footfall. To start with I was meditating (like DearEarth XR Buddhists), sitting holding my poster of the world.

"I got up soon when someone offered me cash. I was right outside the bank and spoke with a few people going in/out or to the cash point. I was also able to speak to some HSBC employees.

"People need to understand that the climate emergency is real, and will have a terrible impact on our children’s lives. Fossil fuels will destroy their future."

A Banbury XR statement said the following about issue of fossil fuels: "Barclays and HSBC have been the number one and two European funders of fossil fuels in the last four years, according to a recent report by the Rainforest Action Network. Barclays have invested £70 billion in fossil fuels, and HSBC £65 billion, since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2016.

"A recent report has also cited Barclays and HSBC as the number two and three European banks respectively for funding biodiversity loss."

Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Rob Wheeldon said: “David Attenborough warned us last month that capitalism is literally destroying life on Earth, and banks like Barclays and HSBC are among the worst culprits. We demand that Barclays and HSBC completely divest from fossil fuels and halt their destruction of nature by 2025 at the latest - 2050 is a death sentence for our planet.”