Buddhists meditate outside Shrewsbury bank in peaceful fossil fuels protest
Buddhists meditated in protest outside a bank over its investment in fossil fuels.
Members of the Shrewsbury Triratna Buddhist Community walked single file from The Square up to the top of Pride Hill to protest outside Barclays in Castle Street.
The group, who had placards around their necks and sat cross-legged in contemplation, were one of five across the country taking action. They also chatted to the public about the issue and handed out leaflets during the protest on Monday.
A spokesman for the group said: "The meditation was part of a global Greenfaith action to bring attention to the causes of the climate crisis and how to solve them. Barclays is Europe’s biggest financial backer of the globally destructive CO2-emitting industries that are threatening the lives of our children and grandchildren. The financial sector is currently investing nine times more in oil and gas than on green economic growth.
"We are calling on Barclays to reverse its policy of investment in climate-damaging fossil fuels; after all, even the traditionally conservative International Energy Agency is now saying that all new fossil fuel extraction must stop as a matter of urgency.
"We all live under the same sky, drink the same water and need healthy land to sustain ourselves and our loved ones. The choice between these and a future blighted by climate chaos is stark."
