Pro-Palestine protesters block Barclays branches calling for customers to "close accounts"

By Conor Wilson, News Reporter

A protester displays a anti-Israel banner (Image: Getty)

Pro-Palestine protesters blockaded respective Barclays stores connected Saturday arsenic they demonstrated against the company’s fiscal links to Israel.

The protesters called for customers to adjacent their accounts owed to the institution offering banking services to arms manufacturers and different businesses associated with Israel.

Some stores unopen their doors completely, whilst others were capable to enactment unfastened acknowledgment to the efforts of information and police.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which organised the protests, stated: “Barclays is bankrolling Israel’s genocidal battle connected Palestinians done its important fiscal ties with arms companies that merchantability weapons to Israel.

“Our probe has recovered that Barclays invests implicit £2 cardinal in, and provides fiscal services worthy £6.1 cardinal to, companies arming Israel.”

Handout photograph issued by Palestine Action of a damaged Barclays successful London. More than 15 branches of B (Image: PA)

Protests person taken spot astatine Barclays stores sporadically since October 7th 2023 owed to the resultant military enactment taken by Israel successful Gaza.

Yesterday, stores successful London, Brighton, Coventry, Leeds, Oxford and Glasgow each saw protests staged outside

Protesters held banners calling for “Palestine to beryllium freed” whilst counter-protesters displayed banners stating that “Hamas are terrorists”.

Barclays has defended its argumentation of offering banking services to businesses successful the weapons and defence industry.

Latest Palestine demo successful Manchester City Centre this clip focusing connected Palestinian prisoners . 20 Apr (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)

A spokesperson for the slope said: “Barclays is committed to respecting quality rights arsenic defined by the International Bill of Human Rights and takes relationship of different internationally accepted quality rights standards and frameworks.

“We person a published connection connected defence and information which sets retired our argumentation positions and governs immoderate concern activities successful the defence and information sector, including mounting restrictions connected definite financing activities and requiring enhanced owed diligence arsenic due connected clients successful the sector.

“As a cosmopolitan bank, Barclays provides a scope of lawsuit services successful narration to the shares of publically listed companies, including those successful the defence and information sector.”