Pro-Palestinian protesters vandalized Barclays bank branches across the UK, smashing windows and throwing red paint at locations in London, Bristol and Manchester.
Shocking images shared by activists reveal shattered windows and extensive damage to the bank branches. In central Bristol, graffiti was also sprayed.
Palestine Action, the group behind the vandalism, claimed responsibility for shattering the windows of Barclays branches from Glasgow in Scotland to Brighton in England. London police reported that three men, aged 34 to 45, were arrested Monday morning in connection with the vandalism.
A spokesperson for Palestine Action said, "Barclays Bank funds climate destruction and genocide in Palestine. Decades of polite campaigning, letter-writing and lobbying MPs have failed. We will continue to escalate our actions until Barclays stops funding genocide and climate destruction." Activists also sprayed the names of Palestinians killed in Gaza on the walls of one Barclays branch.
A Barclays spokesperson responded, "We provide essential financial services to public companies in the US, UK and Europe that supply defense products to NATO and its allies. Barclays does not directly invest in these companies. The defense sector is fundamental to our national security, and the UK government has made it clear that supporting defense companies is important. Decisions on implementing arms embargoes to other countries are the responsibility of elected governments. While we support the right to protest, we ask that protesters do so in a way that respects our customers, colleagues, and property."