TWO women have been arrested after they super-glued their  hands to the doors of a city bank  in a  protest in conjunction with  the G20 summit.

Five protesters, from environmental campaign group Rising  Tide, pulled off the stunt at  around midday, with the two  women, aged in their 20s, super-glueing their hands to the  doors of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) branch in Old Town  Street.

Protester Ann Smith, who was  not arrested, said the group was   protesting locally about the  RBS’s investment in fossil fuels,  timed to fall in conjunction with  the G20 summit, which takes  place in London’s Docklands today.

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She claimed: “The RBS are investing their money in oil, gas and  coal when they should be investing more in sustainable energy. We have to take action –  climate change is happening  now. The government aren’t doing anything, we need help.”

The group called the protest a  ‘penguin protest’, joining hundreds of people around the world  who are celebrating the Fossil  and Financial Fools Day.

“People in London are right now focussing on the G20 meeting  and their unsustainable decisions. All of us want to highlight  the urgent necessity to move to a  sustainable economy,” said  Ann.

Throughout the public protest  two campaigners held up a large  banner stating ‘Royal Bank of  Scotland funding fossil fools’  while another called for the people of Plymouth to help in the  fight against climate change.

A spokesman from Greenbank  Fire Station said a crew was  called to attend at about  12.30pm.

He said: “People had glued their  hands to the doors and we’ve  nothing to release super-glue.  “We could have taken the doors  off but police wanted to keep it  low profile so we left.”

Paramedics from South Western Ambulance Service are understood to have applied a  solution to the protesters’ hands  to release them, and the two  were arrested relating to public  order offences.

The police described the stunt  as a peaceful protest and members of the public stopped to  have a look. A police officer will  stay at the scene for the next few  hours.

An onlooker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “They  were protesting peacefully, trying to get the message of climate  change across. Shoppers  seemed to be listening to what  they were saying.”

The manager of the RBS branch  declined to comment.

This is the second time in a year  that Rising Tide, an international network of activists, has  protested in the city.

Last April seven members of the  group were arrested as they  protested outside the Esso  petrol Station on Exeter Street.

Around 50 protestors descended  on the petrol station, forcing it  to close for around two hours, as  they raised awareness about climate change.

Firefighters from Greenbank were sent to the scene and set about

dismantling the doors, but were sent away from the scene by police.

Tomorrow

is the key day for the global economic conference at the ExCel arena in

Docklands but protests began in earnest in the capital today after

yesterday's arrival in the UK of US president Barack Obama.

There are 3,000 police on duty in the capital.

At

the weekend five people were arrested in Plymouth under terror laws

after weapons, explosives and political documents were allegedly found.

It is believed they were planning to protest against the G20 summit.

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