We gathered with Red Leicester choir to sing some alternative Christmas carols outside Barclays Bank on Humberstone Gate. Previously, campaigners have asked Barclays to cease funding Dirty Energy, and particularly to sell their 97% stake in Third Energy – the company that plan to frack in Ryedale in Yorkshire.
Following Leicester Friends of the Earth’s ‘Frack-Free Festival’ on Humberstone Gate in May, Barclays Chair John McFarlane announced his intention to withdraw Barclays’ financial backing from Third Energy. However, despite repeated requests and letters sent by campaigners, Barclays has failed to set a date for the withdrawal of their investment and campaigners are concerned that Barclays are not serious about withdrawing from this highly controversial form of fossil fuel extraction.
Fracking is a technique for exploiting oil and gas reserves that are too tightly trapped in rocks for conventional drilling techniques to extract. It involves breaking up the deposits where oil or gas are trapped by injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals, under high pressure. Several countries, including Scotland and Wales, have banned fracking due to the dangers it poses to the environment, health and its contribution to climate change.
We dressed up as ‘Anti-fracking elves’, telling Christmas shoppers and Barclays customers that ‘Fracking is bad for your ‘elf’, telling Barclays that 'All we want for Christmas is for Barclays to keep its promises' and offering alternative versions of Christmas classics including ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Oh Christmas Tree’ and ‘The twelve days of Christmas’.
Shoppers who enjoyed the entertainment donated money to the Yorkshire anti-fracking nannas campaign group and to Hurricane Relief in recognition of the role that continued fossil fuel extraction and burning has in the worsening impacts of hurricanes.
Barclays need to put their money where their mouth is and act on their promised dis-investment from Third Energy. If they think that campaigners will give up they are wrong. We will keep campaigning until they turn their words into action.
Jan Wild-Grant, a member of Red Leicester choir said ‘It’s great to use the power and beauty of song to work for positive change in the world. That’s what our choir is all about so we jumped at the chance to help campaigners to push for an end to Barclays’ Dirty Energy investment and to raise money for two good causes at the same time.’
