EXTINCTION Rebellion protesters from Bournemouth staged a different protest against Barclays bank branch located on Old Christchurch Road as they proceeded to clean the building’s interior.

Around 20 Extinction Rebellion rebels dressed up in cleaning attire and proceeded to ‘clean up’ the Barclays Branch in central Bournemouth.

This was part of a national protest as over 300 activists from Extinction Rebellion entered over 20 branches of Barclays at midday on Saturday November 9 and “cleaned” the public floor of the banks.

Tom Downard, who attended the protest in Bournemouth, said: “We entered the Old Christchurch Road branch at 12.00 and exited after around 15 minutes. The bank manager was unhappy about our presence, so he called the police.

“Once the police arrived, we moved outside of the branch. We cleaned inside the branch and talked to customers and handed out leaflets about Barclays fossil fuel investments.”

After the protest, one of the rebels handed out cakes to the Barclays staff to thank them for their hard work and professionalism.

In a statement provided by Extinction Rebellion, they said: “Since the 2016 Paris Agreement, 33 leading banks have lent $1.9 trillion to the fossil fuel industry, and this figure is rising year on year.

“Pouring money into the extraction of fossil fuels is destroying ecosystems, contributing to climate breakdown and harming indigenous communities, all of which undermine the future of life on earth.”