Aviva’s York offices were disrupted by protesters targeting the insurer’s activities in the latest twist in a turbulent season for shareholder meetings.
It comes after NatWest’s annual general meeting (AGM) was halted by activists accusing the bank of backtracking on climate commitments.
Campaign group Boycott Bloody Insurance claimed to be behind 12 people with shares in Aviva disrupting its AGM on Wednesday.
Several protesters shouting and chanting outside a boardroom were escorted or carried out of the building, delaying the start of the meeting.
The group claims Aviva underwrites or invests in companies profiting from immigration detention and surveillance, fossil fuel giants and weapons firms.
Andrew Taylor, a campaigner at Boycott Bloody Insurance said: “Aviva likes to present itself as an ethical business, but when you look at the companies it supports, that turns out to be a sham.”
Aviva declined to comment on the protests.
Meanwhile, following a shareholder vote at the AGM, some 8.4% of votes were cast against the motion to approve Aviva’s climate-related financial disclosures for 2025, while 5.5% of votes were against approving the pay policy for directors.
Aviva’s chief executive Amanda Blanc took home a pay packet of £9.76 million last year.
The disruption comes a week after NatWest was forced to stop its AGM for about half-an-hour amid disruption during its chairman’s opening speech.
Protesters were singing and making statements about NatWest’s climate policies, while shareholder activists called on the banking group to address claims it had “reduced the ambition of its fossil fuel policy and climate targets”.
Rick Haythornthwaite, NatWest’s chairman, defended its policies and said the financing of oil and gas comprises 0.6% of the group’s total lending.
Meanwhile, Barclays is expected to be targeted at its AGM in London on Thursday, with activist groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Campaign Against Arms Trade organising a protest outside the meeting.
