Stephanie Penney
Greta Thunberg has joined a protest outside JP Morgan in London to demand an end to funding fossil fuel projects, days after being detained and charged with a public order offence.
The Swedish climate activist joined a blockade outside the office of JP Morgan in Canary Wharf on Thursday 19th October, alongside dozens of other climate activists. The demonstration protested against the private bank’s investments in fossil fuels.
This was only 24 hours after Thunberg was arrested and later charged with disrupting public order, along with 26 other activists.
The activists blocked the entrance to the bank by sitting on the pavement, chanting “oily money out” and waving yellow flags and banners.
“Change your diet for the climate – eat the rich”
Nice new chant from @fossilfreeLDN pic.twitter.com/8hflClT1wI
— Damien Gayle (@damiengayle) October 19, 2023
Protestors chanted “their profit, our loss” and criticised a “crisis of inequality” on the back of the current cost of living situation.
The group said the bank has been a major source of funding for fossil fuel projects since the Paris Agreement in 2015, when world governments agreed to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5C to above pre-industrial levels.
“London is one of the world’s carbon capitals and JP Morgan is consistently one of the worst offenders,” said Karolina, an organiser with Fossil Free London.
“Their profits are being made on the back of a climate and cost of living crisis. Polluters like JPMorgan must pay for the damage they are funding across the world, from the catastrophic floods we saw in Pakistan last year to the droughts and famine in Kenya and Ethiopia now.”
NEW: In a tour of Canary Wharf, London’s banking district, @fossilfreelondon blocked the world’s and Europe’s worst funders of fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement – JP Morgan and Barclays – yesterday.
Inequality is widening to never before seen levels. Time to #OilyMoneyOut pic.twitter.com/RSZN1qvQl5
— Fossil Free London (@fossilfreeLDN) October 20, 2023
Greta Thunberg’s Arrest
Two days earlier, on 17th October, 20 year-old Thunberg was taken away by two police officers and put into the back of a police van outside the Energy Intelligence Forum, dubbed the ‘Oscars of oil’.
The following day, Thunberg was charged with “failing to comply with a condition” imposed under the Public Order Act (Section 14) dealing with public assemblies.
She was later released on police bail and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on November 15th, alongside ten others.
During that protest, several hundreds had gathered outside the InterContinental London Park Lane hotel during the “Oily Money Out” demonstration blocking all entrances to the hotel, where oil executives were meeting.
Among those prevented from entering was Shell CEO Wael Sawan, who was scheduled to speak at the event. He later addressed the conference by video link.
Before her arrest, Thunberg had criticised “closed-door” agreements made between politicians and representatives of the oil and gas industry.
Thursday marked the third day of city wide protests held by the group against the ongoing Energy Intelligence Forum conference in London, which hosts some of the most powerful players in fossil fuels.
Earlier on Wednesday, climate activists occupied the HQ of Lloyd’s of London, with many gluing themselves to the floor to draw attention to the insurers’ support for both the West Cumbria coal mine and the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline.
Stephanie
Trainee journalist, freelance writer and social policy graduate, based in beautiful North Wales.