Protesters superglued to Plymouth bank
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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