Extinction Rebellion Protesters Paint London Red

Extinction Rebellion members bathe in fake blood Friday in London’s Paternoster Square.Kirsty O’Connor

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Extinction Rebellion protesters poured red paint over the entrances of city institutions as they marched through London’s financial district in a protest against the ‘“blood money” on which they say the UK economy is built.
In what appeared to be the biggest mobilization so far this week by the environmental protest group, several thousand demonstrators took a tour of the city, stopping off at the banks and law firms they saw as most culpable in the climate crisis.
All week, groups based on local areas, or around issues such as gender, race or politics, have staged actions in different locations in central London. On Friday, the protest was staged in solidarity with black, brown and indigenous people, especially in the developing world.
After rallying outside the Bank of England, protesters marched to Standard Chartered bank, where activists scaled the entrance and poured blood-red paint across its glass facade, to highlight the $31.4 billion they say it had invested in fossil fuels since the Paris climate accords.
Activists then went to the Guildhall, from where the financial district is governed, and sprayed the building with red paint. At 3 pm, they reached Paternoster Square, where the London Stock Exchange is located, for rallies and a speech. A mass civil disobedience was planned. “Today’s protest is highlighting that racial, social and climate justice are all intertwined,” said Bhavini Patel, from east London, an activist with XR Unify. “There is no separation and we recognize that, because where’s that profit going and how does it impact us?”