Fossil Free London activists staged a demonstration outside the Wimbledon men’s finals, in protest of its sponsorship by climate crisis-catalyst and Israel genocide-enabling Barclays. You’d be forgiven for not knowing this, as the corporate media appears to have ignored the actions altogether.
Wimbledon: ‘block for Palestine’
Activists, dressed in tennis whites, poured “oil” (molasses) on themselves and chanted as they called on Wimbledon to drop Barclays as a sponsor due to its fossil fuel and Israeli defence company ties.
They also ‘photobombed’ major celebrities entering the Wimbledon match with a ‘block for Palestine’ sign:
Despite Barclays publishing a new energy policy at the start of this year that it hailed as a step towards a “science-based” approach towards “financing the transition”, Barclays continues to finance fossil fuel companies such as Shell. In 2023 alone, the hottest year ever recorded, Barclays provided $24.221 billion of financing to fossil fuel companies.
Barclays: a stain on sport
A report released in April also found that Barclays provides over £6.1 billion in loans and underwriting to arms and military technology companies that are involved in Israeli operations in Palestine. This includes holding £2.7m in Elbit Systems, which supplies the Israeli military with armoured drones, munitions, and artillery weapons used in its attacks in Gaza.
Pressure is building on Barclays and those institutions like Wimbledon with links to the bank, after its multi-year sponsorship deal with Latitude, Download, and Isle of Wight festivals was suspended following protests from bands and fans.
Joanna Warrington, spokesperson for Fossil Free London, said of Wimbledon:
Barclays is a shameful stain on Wimbledon’s reputation. Treasured sporting events should not be sponsored by the billions this oily bank makes funding bombs and big oil. Clean up your image and drop Barclays, Wimbledon, or you’ll be hung out to dry alongside them.
Featured image and additional images via Fossil Free London
