[Cc-webedit] [Fwd: website and RBS-camp press release]

[Richard Braude]

That sounds great Brad.

The Feature box could have the picture, a top link to the press release, and
a link to http://photo.climatecamp.org.uk/rbs/index.html

Neil, here's the Press Release:
_____________

PRESS RELEASE
Camp for Climate Action
EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01, THURSDAY 22ND APRIL

CAMP FOR CLIMATE ACTION TO TARGET RBS IN 2010

- Bank will be targeted over its massive fossil fuel investments
- Announcement made one week ahead of RBS AGM

The Camp for Climate Action has announced today that it will be targeting
the bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland in 2010.(1). The location has yet to
be revealed, and the group are promising that thousands will take action
against the UK’s most controversial bank.

RBS received the biggest bail out of any bank worldwide and has long been
criticised for being the UK bank that is the most heavily involved in
financing fossil fuel companies around the world. In 2006, a report
calculated that the emissions embedded in its oil and gas portfolio were
greater than that of Scotland itself. More recently, RBS was identified as
the UK bank most involved with financing companies engaged in Canadian tar
sands extraction with the devastating impacts on the climate and on the
lives of indigenous communities. (2)

Sonia Tiller, a spokesperson for the group said:

“The government refuses to do anything to prevent RBS from pouring billions
of taxpayers’ money into incredibly destructive fossil fuel projects around
the world. So it’s up to ordinary people to come together again and stop
these climate crimes from being committed, just like we did at Kingsnorth
and Heathrow.”

Climate activist Sean Freeman from Leeds said:

“It’s bad enough that RBS were funding some of the dirtiest fossil fuel
developments to happen around the world - now they are using tax payers’
money to do this. First, banks caused the financial crisis, and now they are
dragging us headlong into the climate crisis too.”

The announcement was made a week before the RBS AGM which is to be held on
28 April in Edinburgh. An indigenous woman from Canada, Eriel Deranger will
be attending the AGM to question RBS executives over the impact of their
investments in the destruction of her home and community. (3)

The announcement of the secret location for the focus of the action is
expected to be made in the next month.

For info/interviews, contact:
07040 900905
press at climatecamp.org.uk

ENDS
___________

NOTES

(1) The Camp for Climate Action is the UK’s most high profile direction
action movement, which has previously organised camps at Drax Power Station,
Heathrow Airport, Kingsnorth Power Station, the G20 and Blackheath Common.
It aims to build a social movement of radical climate activists in the UK
and presents a critique of the economic/political system underpinning the
climate crisis.

(2) For more information on RBS’ fossil fuel finance, see the reports, “The
Oil and Gas Bank” [Available from peopleandplanet.org/dl/ddd/rbs_report.pdf],
“Cashing in on Coal: RBS, UK Banks and the Global Coal Industry” [Available
fromwww.oyalbankofscotland.com/cioc/pdf/cashinginoncoal.pdf] and “Cashing in
on Tar Sands: RBS, UK Banks and Canada’s ‘Blood Oil’” [Available from
http://platformlondon.org/files/cashinginontarsandsweb.pdf].

(3) The NGOs that are organising the protest at the RBS AGM are the World
Development Movement Scotland, Amnesty Scotland, Scottish Education and
Action for Development, People & Planet, Rainforest Action Network,
Indigenous Environmental Network and Platform. There will also be protests
outside RBS branches across the UK on Saturday 24 April and Wednesday 28
April organised by the World Development Movement. These groups are also
holding a “Public Shareholders Meeting” in the Mercure Hotel (6pm – 8pm) in
Edinburgh on the evening of the AGM. These groups are entirely separate
entities to the Camp for Climate Action.
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