Two members of Extinction Rebellion were arrested in the centre of Belfast, accused of throwing red paint on the Barclays Bank building in Castle Place.
The 33-year-old man and 30-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and disorderly behaviour following the incident, part of co-ordinated attacks on more than 100 branches across the UK.
Extinction Rebellion (XR), the activist organisation campaigning to raise awareness of global environmental damage, claims Barclays is the UK and Europe’s largest financier of fossil fuel companies.
The bank closed for the day and customers were directed to the next nearest branch in Lisburn. Along with the red paint thrown at the bank, the protests also placed fake bank notes and posters on the site.
Protestors also held banners, one stating that it was an “intervention”, the other reading: “Stop funding death.”
XR co-founder Gail Bradbrook said: “Today hundreds of people staged an intervention on Barclays, sending a message to the high street bank that with protests taking place at over 100 of their branches they are rapidly losing the social licence to do business in towns and cities of the UK.”
