Don't Bank on the Bomb: Divestment Day of Action!
Posted: 14th June 2021
Don’t Bank on the Bomb: Divestment Day of Action!
This Friday, peace groups across the region are taking part in a day of divestment action, holding socially-distanced stalls and leafleting sessions outside NatWest and Barclays banks in their towns and cities.
According to Don’t Bank on the Bomb, between 2018-2020, NatWest had over 1.8 billion in outstanding loans to 11 nuclear weapons producers. Similarly, as noted in the Nuclear Weapons Financing Research Group’s ‘Investing in Change‘ report, Barclays is the “second-most significantly-exposed company to nuclear weapons producing companies”.
It is absolutely vital that we begin to communicate these facts to both their customers and the broader public. In a situation where the Conservative government is lifting the cap on nuclear warheads by 40%, in complete disregard of the reality that 77% of the British public support a total global ban of nuclear weapons and 59% support Britain signing up to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, it is imperative that we get the word out and put pressure on these banks!
We currently have actions taking place in Bradford, Huddersfield, Keighley and Leeds. If you are interested in doing an action on the day in your town or city, get in touch with the YCND office and we’ll give you a hand. You can contact us on [email protected]
We have poster and placard materials for both banks which you can use for this and future actions, as well as drafted letters addressed to the bank CEOs that you can hand in.