Climate campers target the bankers

Thursday 19 August 2010 by Will Stone

The RBS group has been targeted over its investment in the oil industry

More than 200 climate activists are laying siege to the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh in protest against the bank's oil investments.

A hundred campaigners from Camp for Climate Action broke through protective fencing to swoop on the grounds of the bank's headquarters in Gogarburn at 9.15pm on Wednesday - a day earlier than planned - to dodge authorities keen to stop the protest camp setting up.

Campaigners, who were joined by 100 more on Thursday, targeted the Royal Bank of Scotland over its investment in the oil industry, which is financing environmentally damaging projects such as the Canadian tar sands and Enbridge pipeline.

The location of the site was announced through mass text messaging that campers subscribed to as part of the planned swoop.

They said the camp had been set up at the site in preparation for a day of action against RBS next Monday, which could include attacks on Edinburgh Festival events sponsored by the bank, coal and oil industry sites across Scotland as well as direct action on the bank's headquarters itself.

The 200 activists have pitched up in the grass area outside the bank's headquarters and are expecting to be joined by 600 more over the weekend as marquees, workshops, eco-toilets and kitchens are being set up.

Climate Camp spokesman Richard Bernard said: "The progress has been phenomenal with more and more protesters joining by the hour.

"We have learnt from previous years that the police will try to do anything in their power to stop us, which is why we decided to set up camp on Wednesday night."

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