Protesters gathered together during the first week of Wimbledon’s tennis fortnight to take aim at the tournament’s sponsorship with Barclays over its ties to fossil fuels and companies supplying arms to Israel.
Tournament organisers have come under increased pressure in recent weeks by climate groups and anti-war activists to drop the bank as a sponsor.
On Thursday, just days after the 2024 championships began, activists from the climate action group XR Wandsworth met outside Wimbledon Station to hand out leaflets, holding a banner which read: “Barclays you cannot be serious! Shame set and match”
Caroline Hartnell, co-ordinator of XR Wandsworth, said: “Barclays are under increasing pressure because of the amount of finance they are putting into funding the fossil fuel industry.
“The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) are supposed to be a sustainable organisation yet they are accepting money from a bank which is helping destroy ancient forests in the Amazon, ravaging biodiverse areas, and accelerating the climate crisis.”
Barclays is Europe’s biggest fossil fuel financier, having invested $235billion – £186billion – since 2016, according to a recent report.
Campaigners have also accused the bank of “aiding Israel’s war crimes” in Gaza.
A report by the Campaign Against Arms Trade claimed the bank held about £2billion in shares in eight companies that provide weapons, components and other military equipment to Israel.
In a statement posted online, Barclays addressed the criticism by saying it provided financial services to nine defence companies supplying Israel, but did not “make investments for Barclays, and Barclays is not a ‘shareholder’ or ‘investor’”.
It added that the bank traded in shares of listed companies “in response to client instruction or demand and that may result in us holding shares”.
XR Wandsworth member Keith Bartlett, who took part in Thursday’s protest, said activists will continue their demonstration until the end of the championships.
This comes after more than 300 adverts on commercial billboards, the tube and bus shelters near Wimbledon were covered with spoof posters mimicking advertising for Wimbledon and Barclays in the days leading up to the championship. The guerrilla action was carried out by the campaign group Brandalism.
One poster showed a tennis player bleeding out on the court beside a crater with the words “From Gaza to global warming, we’re making a killing.”
Another piece showed two hands, one of a tennis player and the other of a banker, meeting with the words: “Partners in climate crime and genocide.”
An AELTC spokeswoman said: “We believe that Wimbledon, along with other major sporting bodies and events, has a meaningful role to play in helping to protect the environment, today and for the future.
“Our ambition to have a positive impact on the environment is central to our day-to-day operations and is a core part of putting on a successful Championships.
“Barclays is an important partner and we are working closely with them in a number of areas, including through our Set for Success programme, which is helping to support disadvantaged secondary students in schools across the UK.”
Barclays has been approached for comment.
Pictured top: Keith Bartlett of XR Wandsworth leafletting outside Wimbledon station last week (Picture: Auriel Glanville)
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