CLIMATE activists took to a Colchester High Street bank dressed as cleaners in support of fellow campaigners who could face prison sentences.
Extinction Rebellion Colchester was outside Barclays bank yesterday, Saturday, December 10, ‘doing battle’ with the banking company.
The action was held in solidarity with the ‘Barclays Seven’, a group of seven activists who were found guilty this week of criminal damage to Barclays HQ after breaking their windows in April 2021.
Each of the seven women wore a patch reading "better broken windows than broken promises" in direct reference to the campaign for women’s suffrage in the UK.
The Suffragettes also used window-breaking tactics and their actions in the early 20th Century were a significant part of the campaign to secure the right to vote for women in the UK.
The seven women are facing a maximum sentence of up to 18 months in prison as a result of their actions.
Extinction Rebellion claims Barclays is the UK and Europe’s largest financier of fossil fuels.
The Colchester group took to the High Street dressed as cleaners, working to ‘clean’ Barclays.
XR’s 'Dirty Scrubbers' are demanding Barclays stop their fossil fuel investments.
Rachel Bosler, a PhD student and one of the Colchester activists, said: “I happen to personally know some of the Barclays 7 and they are the warmest, bravest, most compassionate people I've ever met.
"They acted out of love and solidarity with those whose lives have been dramatically altered or cut short as a result of climate change.
“They also acted out of desperation, as our government and private banks continue to prioritize profits over lives.
“To some their action may seem extreme - but I believe it is justified. Why should windows matter more than people's lives?”
Ellisif Wasmuth, a lecturer at Essex University, added: “The climate emergency is the biggest threat we face.
“The Government is not on track to meet its own targets.
"It is issuing 200 new licences to the fossil fuel extractors instead of putting the money into renewable energy and home insulation.
“We have a duty to speak out and act.”
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