A group linked to Extinction Rebellion has forced the closure of 50 branches of Barclays Bank after activists superglued their doors shut.
Supporters of Money Rebellion, a "sister organisation" of XR, disabled the entrances of branches in Tottenham Court Road in London, Kilmarnock Road in Glasgow and Albion Street in Leeds.
Activists urged customers to boycott the company to exert pressure on Barclays to stop funding fossil fuel projects.
The bank has previously been targeted by Greenpeace, which claims it is the largest funder of fossil fuels in Europe. It has demanded the bank switch to supporting renewable energy projects.
A spokesman for Money Rebellion said the disruption was "part of a significant new wave of property-focused climate action. Climate change is real and happening now. We urge Barclays customers to use their power by moving their account to a bank more aligned with a liveable future for the planet."
According to Bank.Green, which campaigns for banks to fund green projects, Barclays has invested $190.6 billion in fossil fuels in the seven years since the Paris agreement on climate change.
A Money Rebellion activist who took part in the action said: "Barclays are pumping billions into the fossil fuel industry, completely at odds with advice from the International Energy Agency, United Nations and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Barclays are choosing short-term profits over a liveable future and a lot of us are sick of the measly progress they're making, as they hide behind their lies and greenwash."
An XR activist added: "We're responding to public attitudes and targeting the perpetrators of climate breakdown, not ordinary people and we apologise for any inconvenience caused to staff and customers."
A Barclays spokesperson defended the bank's approach, saying it aims to be net zero by 2050 and believes it can make the greatest difference by working with clients as they transition to low-carbon business models. The bank said it has achieved a 32 per cent reduction in energy sector emissions since 2020 and provided £99 billion of green finance since 2018.
