Storm Eunice brings down gable in Wembley - Bridge Road blocked

 

Debris outside the former Barclays Bank (Credit: AmandaRosePhoto) @amandarosephoto

 

 (Credit: AmandaRosePhoto) @amandarosephoto

Bridge Road was closed by police (Credit: AmandaRosePhoto) @amandarosephoto

 

 It was fortunate that no-one was hurt when the gable wall above the former Barclay's Bank came down in Storm Eunice today.  The bus stop is close by following its removal from the bridge but people had taken advice and stayed at home.

The British Transport Police station is directly opposite the formewr bank so they were wablt to act swiftly.

For the sake of the planet 'STOP FUNDING FOSSIL FUELS!' climate activists tell Barclays Bank

 

Considering it was a cold weekday lunchtime, a large group of climate activists turned up to  a demonstration outside the Cricklewood Broadway branch of Barclays to urge the bank to stop funding fossil fuels - investments that escalate climate change.  Customers were urged to change their bank accounts to m ore ethical banks if Barclays continued to collude in the destruction of the planet.

 

The demonstration organised by Brent Friends of the Earth was supported by Brent Trades Council, Divest Brent from Fossil Fuels, a cross-party and non-party group of climate activists, and Cllrs Lia Colacicco, Janice Long and Orleen Hylton.

 

 Cllr Colacicco with Cllr Janice Long

 

Useful customer information

Ian Saville of Brent Friends of the Earth makes the case against Barclays Bank

(Video by Ryan Hack)

 

Several older passersby recalled the days when they boycotted Barclays Bank because of its financial support for South African apartheid and promised to review their use of the bank.

Join BrentFoE outside Barclays Bank, Cricklewood tomorrow, 12.30pm to protest against the bank's investment in fossil fuels

 

Brent Friends of the Earth will be demonstrating alongside other activists outside Barclays Bank, Cricklewood tomorrow in opposition to the bank's investments in fossil fuels.

On its Facebook page Brent FoE say:

Barclays is the largest individual provider of current accounts in the UK and the “worst banker of fossil fuels” in Europe, according to the impact rating carried out by Ethical Consumer magazine.

 

Barclays has been Europe’s biggest investor in fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement, according to the Banking on Climate Change report, providing 36% more finance than the next worst European banker (HSBC). From 2016-19 the company invested $118.1 billion (£862 billion) in fossil fuels. It is the tenth biggest funder of fossil fuel expansion internationally.

 

At its AGM in May 2020, over 75% of Barclays shareholders voted against a resolution to end the company’s investments in fossil fuels.

 

Among the fossil fuel projects funded by Barclays are:

 

Bangladesh’s coal expansion

 

Barclays has provided funding for the Rampal Power Plant in Bangladesh. The plant threatens the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, a vital carbon sink that reduces CO2 in the atmosphere.

 

The Bangladeshi government plans to increase dependence on coal from 2.8% to 37% over the next decade.

 

According to Tonny Nowshin, a researcher at environmental and human rights organisation Urgewald, the pollution from the plant would cause low birth weight for 24,000 babies and premature death for 6,000 people.

 

Financing deforestation

 

Barclays has provided financial services worth millions to five beef and soy companies known for their links with deforestation. These include meat producer JBS, whose controllers confessed to bribing more than 1,800 politicians in Brazil in 2017.

 

Violations of Indigenous rights

 

Many of the projects that Barclays backs are linked to serious human rights abuses, including ongoing violations of Indigenous rights. These include the Dakota Access Pipeline and tar sands pipeline projects which will cross Indigenous territories.

 

TO JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION MEET OUTSIDE THE CROWN HOTEL, CRICKLEWOOD BROADAY AT 12.15PM. THE DEMONSTRATION IS AT THE BRANCH OF BARCLAYS OPPOSITE THE HOTEL FROM 12.30PM.

Brent Friends of the Earth fracked off with Barclays Bank

Brent Friends of the Earth members campaigned outside Barclays in Cricklewood on Saturday 10th October to tell the bank to stop backing fracking. The group used placards, bottles of 'fracking water'and leaflets to raise awareness, and a petition to put pressure on the bank over its investment in the dirty fossil fuel extraction in Ryedale, Yorkshire.

Barclays bank owns 97% of Third Energy – a company planning to frack very close to the North York Moors National Park. Barclays has a long history of funding dirty energy, but this would be the first time a major High Street bank is directly investing in fracking in the UK.

Members of the public signed a petition to Barclays' Chairman, John MacFarlane, to withdraw proposals of Third Energy and Barclays Natural Resource Investments to carry out exploratory fracking in North Yorkshire. Fracking in this area of the country carries a wide range of risks including:

-Risks to groundwater from chemicals injected into the ground and extracted as part of the fracking process.
-Risks to surface water, particularly given the area's location in a flood risk area and as an area renowned for its pristine rivers.
-Risks to the community from increased traffic and noise impacting on mental and physical health.
-Risks to the local economy which is largely dependent on agriculture, tourism and fishing.
-Risks to the global climate from further extreme extraction of dirty fossil fuels.

Viv Stein, spokesperson for Brent Friends of the Earth says, “Fracking poses unacceptable risks to our health, homes and environment, and goes against everything we need to do to tackle climate change. Brent residents were concerned to find out that Barclays – a retail bank – is investing in dirty fracking in a beautiful part of our country. We hope that our action, alongside others up and down the country, will persuade the bank to stop their plans which gamble with our health and the environment.”

“Our dirty 'frack water' highlighted concerns that the extraction uses vast quantities of water, making it no longer safe to drink. Surprisingly the Cricklewood branch was closed on the day of our action. We had hoped to meet the Bank Manager and express our concerns.”

Brent Friends of the Earth's actions were part of a national day of action on Climate Change on 10th October. See what other groups did on Twitter at #StopBarclaysFracking. To sign the petition to Barclays go to https://www.foe.co.uk/act/tell-barclays-stop-fracking-north-yorkshire.