24 Hour Protest Vigil outside JP Morgan by Extinction Rebellion

Activists from XR have been holding a 24 hour vigil outside JP Morgan on Waterloo Street. The vigil began on Wednesday 9 November 2021 at 4pm and has continued through the night.

The action was initiated by XR Scotland’s Highland Hecklers affinity group, who have held a banner drop protest at this office every day of COP26. The building has been closed with security fencing, and has had a 24 hour police and security presence since the conference began.

For the vigil, the Highland Hecklers are joined by activists from XR UK, XR Scotland, XR Paris, Doctors of XR, and XR Spain. XR Buddhists joined them for a sit-in meditation, and musicians including guitarists, violinists, and an XR samba band came to give them support.

This action is being undertaken to draw attention to the fact that JP Morgan are the world’s largest investor in fossil fuels, investing over $51.3 billion in 2020 [1]

John Lardner, from the Highland Hecklers, said “I’m here because they’ve spent 318 billion dollars since the Paris conference in 2016 on investing in fossil fuels, which is an outrage! Far, far more, than any other bank in the world. They try to disguise this by changing the concept of carbon emissions from absolute emissions to carbon intensity, which is definitely greenwash, because it just gives them permission to carry on increasing carbon emissions”.

Holding a banner at the vigil saying ‘Combustibles Fósiles = Muerte’, Karen Colleen from XR Spain said “We need to apply as much pressure as we possibly can to keep the carbon in the ground and unless we pressurise the Government that won’t happen it time; it’s probably too late anyway. We’ve come to bear witness that JP Morgan is the largest subsidiser of fossil fuels worldwide and people need to know that.”

Carlos, who walked to Glasgow from Spain for COP26, leaving in September and arriving a few days ago, said “Without a change in where the money is going, we’re not going to achieve much. Allocating the resources for a fair and just transition to a low carbon economy that allows a dignified life for everyone and not only for humans, is what we really need, instead of more and more greenwashing which is really intensifying. We see it around Glasgow everywhere you look.”

At 3pm, XR activists are expected to gather in celebration of the completion of the vigil, and then march to the entrance of COP on Finnieston Street, where a candle-lit vigil will take place in honour of fallen Earth defenders. [2]

Notes

[1] 60 largest banks in the world have invested $3.8 trillion in fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/24/how-much-the-largest-banks-have-invested-in-fossil-fuel-report.html

[2] Young XR and Plan B activist lost in action in Ghana https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2021/11/03/young-xr-and-plan-b-activist-lost-in-action-in-ghana/