A Perth bank was shut yesterday after climate change activists disabled the front doors.
Barclays on High Street was targeted by Greenpeace activists in the early hours of the morning on Monday, March 2.
Greenpeace said it was making a stance against Barclays funding oil, gas and coal companies.
The activists say Barclays is the biggest European bank to fund fossil fuels, and is now demanding it channels its money into renewable energy instead.
Morten Thaysen, climate finance campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “Barclays must stop funding the climate emergency, that’s why we’ve taken action today.
“From floods to bushfires and record heat in Antarctica, the impacts of this crisis are staring us in the face.
“Yet Barclays keeps pumping billions into fossil fuel companies at exactly the time we need to stop backing these polluting businesses.”
As well as disabling the main entrance, the activists had also printed ‘Barclays: stop funding the climate emergency’ on the pavement outside, and had posted a notice on the door apologising to the bank’s customers and staff for the inconvenience.
Barclays staff had also posted a notice on the front door which read: “Due to vandalism we are unable to gain access to the building to open - apologies for any inconvenience caused.”
A spokesperson for Barclays said: “Our priority is to ensure the health and safety of our colleagues and customers and we are working to get the branch open as soon as possible.”
The spokesperson added Barclays facilitated £34.8 billion in 2019 in social and environmental financing such as green bonds and renewable financing, and said it had launched the UK’s first green mortgage to give homebuyers a discount for choosing an eco-friendly home.
Six other branches in Scotland were targeted by Greenpeace yesterday morning, including Stirling, Dunfermline, Dundee, St Andrews and Kirkintilloch.
