Climate change activists target ANZ branches across the country, four charged

A protest group said its defacing of an international bank’s property was in response to the institution’s alleged contribution to the damage to the world’s climate.

Extinction Rebellion graffitied windows and footpaths outside ANZ branches in four cities causing minor disruption to services.

They also plastered bogus charge sheets to the windows alleging “wilful damage” in response to three members of their own organisation who face charges in New Zealand courts for their earlier protest actions.

ANZ Bank said its Wellington Central branch was closed “for a short time” on Friday to clean up the graffiti.

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Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman Josie Fields said the group carried out four similar protest actions across New Zealand at the same time.

ANZ branches were also targeted in Rotorua, Christchurch and Nelson.

Four people were charged with wilful damage in Nelson, including Field and her co-protestors.

The protest action was aimed to coincide with the court appearance of their colleagues in Auckland that had been scheduled for Friday. Three Extinction Rebellion protestors were charged with wilful damage relating to their defacement of Auckland branches on October 23. They will now appear in court on January 7.

The climate change-focused protest group said their actions were aimed at bringing attention to ANZ’s investment in fossil fuel-related businesses and lack of investment in green alternatives.

The group alleged that ANZ had lent the regional and global fossil fuel industry $15.2 billion over five years, with renewable energy receiving less than a fifth of that investment.

ANZ spokeswoman Briar McCormack said the ANZ New Zealand had strong environmental credentials and policies and disputed some of Extinction Rebellion’s points.

“Lending to the fossil fuel sector accounts for just 0.18 percent of our total lending and this is declining.

“Our lending to the renewable energy sector is almost four times that. We don’t fund fossil fuel exploration.”

Extinction Rebellion’s graffiti also included the slogan ‘Zero Emissions 2025’, which Fields said highlighted corporate responsibility to stop funding industries which work against this goal.

McCormack said the bank agreed with the environmental sentiments of the protestors, but said getting to net zero will take time.

“It is a transition.

“We agree with COP26 that halting global warming and reducing net carbon emissions to zero requires funding for the transition.”