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Anarchists shut down Barclays in Cardiff

anonymous | 04.05.2014 12:49 | Afghanistan | Anti-militarism | Workers' Movements | Wales

On Saturday 3rd May, a group of 25 anarchists and other anti-militarists closed Barclays' Cardiff city centre branch in protest of the bank's investment in the arms trade.

outside Barclays
outside Barclays

outside Barclays
outside Barclays

unforeseen indeed
unforeseen indeed

all closed up
all closed up


The campaigners formed a Radical Bloc on the Trades Council-organised May Day march, breaking from the main route to take action against the bank instead of going to listen to speeches by union officials at the Trades Council's rally.

A local anarchist and member of the Stop NATO Cymru campaign group said: "We took part in the May Day march to draw attention to the struggles of workers all over the world against exploitation and violent oppression which is exacerbated by arms producers here in the UK.

We targeted Barclays because it's a major investor in Exelis Inc. the parent company of the EDO Corporation which is guilty of mass-producing arms to sell to oppressive regimes, exacerbating violent conflict and suppressing legitimate protest. Barclays Global Investors UK Holdings Ltd has 5,059,591 shares in Exelis and Barclays PLC has 63,071 shares.

We entered the branch after leaving the May Day march and refused to leave until we had made an impact. Within half-an-hour the management decided to close, depriving the company of a busy Saturday afternoon's profit through direct action. We sent our message to the public by plastering the front of the building with stickers which gave details of Barclays' guilt and sent a clear message to the company that we won't tolerate money from our communities being used to fund war."

The protest was organised by anarchist group Stop NATO Cymru as part of an ongoing campaign to oppose the forthcoming NATO Summit in Newport this September.

A member of Stop NATO Cymru added: "We oppose all wars between nations and see NATO, the armed wing of western capitalism, and the companies which manufacture its weapons as being two sides of the same coin. Both murder ordinary people who are forced into conflicts by their conditions and escalate situations like Ukraine's, where two imperialistic powers are forcing their will over an innocent population, NATO being one of those powers."

1) For more information on Stop NATO Cymru: network23.org/stopnatocymru

2) For more on opposition to the forthcoming NATO Summit:
www.radicalwales.org/2014/02/nato-in-newport-2014.html

3) For more on the May Day march:
www.facebook.com/events/564905746896026/?fref=ts

4) For more information on Exelis Inc./EDO Corp.: www.smashedo.org.uk

anonymous

Additions

few extra photos

04.05.2014 13:05

outside the bank later on
outside the bank later on

cop apparently fingering his taser while unaware of a little something
cop apparently fingering his taser while unaware of a little something

chalk messages spotted outside
chalk messages spotted outside

here's a few photos.. someone else will probably have some better ones

pick kliker

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Lost profits

04.05.2014 15:17

In th report is says,

"depriving the company of a busy Saturday afternoon's profit "

This is clearly nonsense, major banks incur losses having branches open not gain profits. Only legislation means they keep as many open as they do now, given the choice Barclays for example had said they would close as much as half of their branches. No critisism of the action but please be realistic with the reporting.

nic

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Lost profits

04.05.2014 16:17

I am sorry to say we see a lot of these reports, actions where everything was wonderful, campaigns that are just 'one last push' away from victory etc etc. In the real world Barclays would not have given a flying fart about this demo. Look at the facts, 30 minutes of making a fuss that the majority of the public would have neither understood or cared about followed by the manager closing the doors and giving all the staff a half day's holiday. The cash machines outside were still working so anybody needing cash could have got some = net result - sod all achieved.

Agreeing

Good work

04.05.2014 16:25

and what if people were there everyday of the week?

People power, don't underestimate it.

Just sayin

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NATO is a good thing, you people are traitors!

05.05.2014 14:11

NATO is a good thing you people are traitors!
 http://www.nato.int

Support NATO

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@Support NATO

05.05.2014 16:35

Get stuffed.

UPrick

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Traitors?

05.05.2014 21:47

Support NATO -
NATO isn't Welsh, how can it be traitorous to criticise it.
Secondly , equating criticism to treason is a tactic of the state designed to cripple dissent. Now fuck off back to your handler and try harder next time troll.

Anon

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never happen

06.05.2014 20:33

> and what if people were there everyday of the week?

Would never happen but the said people would get bored and move onto some other fad

Just saying

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??

12.05.2014 17:46

How do you work out you cost them a days "profit" most people are going in to pay money in to cover bills or draw out money. I'd say you just pissed off the people of Cardiff. Just saying like

Profit?

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Ineffective

13.05.2014 17:31


If your goal is to cause financial trouble to Barclays, you need to be doing something else to achieve this. Why waste your time doing this stuff, when you could be doing something to achieves your goals?

Ineffective

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@ Ineffective

14.05.2014 12:41

You seem confused as to the purpose of these actions. The anarchist scene is not about changing things, it is about taking teenage rebellion and dressing it up in a cloak of activism to justify the behaviour. These actions appeal to the immature, the easily led, those seeking a 'cause' to help put a purpose into their mostly empty lives. If you speak to the individuals you will often find they have often done poorly at school, have a limited intellectual ability and find a sense of belonging by being part of the group. It's the same sort of sheep mentality that often sees people become involved with fringe religions or cults.

Glirte

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Banks

10.09.2014 20:58

Most British banks are subsidiary agents of the Bank of England, so why don't you go after Rothschild?

oiyoi

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