UK climate activist arrested after attacks on HSBC and Barclays

Reuters

Published May 11, 2021 05:40

Updated May 11, 2021 06:00

By Guy Faulconbridge

LONDON (Reuters) -British climate activist Gail Bradbrook, co-founder of the Extinction Rebellion group, was arrested at home on Tuesday for conspiracy to cause criminal damage and fraud after her group attacked banks such as HSBC and Barclays (LON:BARC).

Activists from the group smashed the window frontage of HSBC and Barclays in Canary Wharf last month and have targeted Lloyd's of London as part of what the activists cast as a "Money Rebellion".

"Extinction Rebellion co-founder Gail Bradbrook was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police at her home in Stroud at around 5:30 am this morning for conspiracy to cause criminal damage and fraud in relation to Money Rebellion's debt disobedience," a spokeswoman for the group said.

The fraud allegation stems from a campaign to use personal credit card debt to make donations to groups allegedly damaged by banks - and then refusing to pay off the debt, a spokeswoman said.