Extinction Rebellion Protest outside Penrith Office of Insurance Company

Members of Climate protest group XR have today been protesting outside the Penrith offices of insurance broker Marsh.

The group of protestors waving placards and banners are taking part in a national day of action against insurance businesses which they say are “enabling” the fossil fuel industry by insuring high profile global projects.

Protesters claim: “Marsh is one of a number of insurance brokers which continue to facilitate fossil-fuel projects that drive the climate and ecological crises.”

A spokesperson for the Extinction Rebellion campaign group, has said: “We’re making it clear to insurers that they have the power to stop us going hungry and having our homes flooded and made uninsurable. They can make it impossible for fossil fuel bosses to keep drilling and digging by pulling the plug on the insurance that covers their huge financial losses if things go wrong.”

“Unless insurers meet our demand to stop insuring new oil and gas, we will keep targeting them with mass non-violent direct action to damage their reputations with the public and business community and hit their share price.”

Over the past 12 months, the XR groups “Insure Our Survival” campaign has coordinated more than 150 actions, targeting 27 insurance firms in over 40 towns and cities. From 2–14 July, a UK-wide Wave of Action has seen the group ramp up pressure on the insurers it claims are “enabling climate destruction”.

One XR member said “No matter how much we scale up renewable energy, that won’t stop climate breakdown. We need to rapidly phase-out of coal, oil and gas if we are going to have any chance of staying within the Paris Agreement targets which were agreed by the whole world. Insurance companies have a special opportunity and responsibility to withdraw support from all fossil fuel projects now. A managed transition is still possible.”

Another protester said: “Coal, oil and gas projects are flooding and burning the world right now. We urge delegates to push for exclusion policies within their companies and connect with a growing network of insurance professionals doing this.”

Members of the XR protest group last year vandalised the town centre pavements with orange spray paint spraying the Extinction Rebellion logo across the town centre streets.


National Headlines
National and International News Headlines...
Add Penrith.Town App. Press Then select "Add to Home Screen"