Fossil energies | Extinction Rebellion denounces the Royal Bank on the A40

New banners appeared along Highway 40 in Montreal on Friday. Two days before COP26, the militant group Extinction Rébellion covered two billboards with their own posters denouncing the Royal Bank of Canada’s investments in fossil fuels.

Lila Dussault
Press

“RBC Royal Bank: proud partner of the end of the world”, we read on a first banner, framed by a lion and a forest on fire. “Support the Wet’suwet’en Nation Against RBC / Royal Bank,” the second banner displays, showing a grizzly bear biting a lion.

In favor of the night, about fifteen members of the environmental group Extinction Rébellion Quebec gathered at 3333 Boulevard Crémazie in Montreal. Their goal: to draw public attention to the financing of fossil fuels by the Royal Bank of Canada. They chose this abandoned and partially renovated building. No doors were smashed to access the premises, but the roofing plating was undone.

The atmosphere was quiet at 3 a.m. on the roof of the building. The roar of vehicles on the Metropolitan highway pierced here and there the silence interrupted by the whispers of the militants. The downtown lights in the distance lit up the scene. Despite the ambient 5 ° C, a dozen members of Extinction Rébellion were preparing their operation. Two had even slept there.

The activists were organized and calm, equipped with harnesses, bibs, helmets and walkie-talkies. A drone had also been deployed, while other members watched the building from the ground. How did the participants feel? ” Well ! », Replied two activists, in heart, as they finished installing their equipment. Masked, they did not reveal their name to Press in order to avoid being identified. Neither had any climbing experience, but had been trained on purpose for actions of civil disobedience.

Four people were deployed per banner ad. After covering the lights with heavy blankets, they spread their posters over the existing advertisements. The operation lasted about 30 minutes. Once the banners were placed, the access door to the roof of the building was concreted to prevent the companies that owned the billboards from accessing it. “The most important thing, for us, is that our messages are visible for the days to come”, specified to Press Louis Ramirez, spokesperson for Extinction Rébellion.

From 4:10 a.m., motorists on Highway 40 could see the two banners near the exit to Saint-Michel. No police intervention had taken place at 4.30 a.m.

Report RBC Investments

The Royal Bank of Canada has invested $ 208 billion in fossil fuels since the 2016 Paris Agreement, according to the 2021 Banking on Climate Chaos report. “This is more than anything that has been invested in the ecological transition”, denounces Louis Ramirez. It also makes RBC the fifth largest fossil fuel funder in the world, and the largest in Canada.

“We are trying to build an indigenous and non-indigenous solidarity movement against a common enemy [la RBC] », Affirms Louis Ramirez. This is what explains the banner in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en. The grizzly bear is a symbol of the Gidimt’en clan, which defends the construction of the Coastal Gaslink pipeline, funded by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), says Ramirez.

“The activists want to remake Canada in a movement that respects the environment and indigenous people. The Royal Bank of Canada is at the crossroads of these issues, and each time, it pushes in the other direction, ”adds Louis Ramirez.

A demonstration against RBC is also planned on Place Ville-Marie on Friday at 4:30 p.m., organized jointly by several environmental groups. They demand the end of massive funding of fossil fuels and respect for the consent of indigenous peoples, detailed Louis Ramirez.

Two days of COP26

The movement is part of a mobilization around the globe to publicly denounce investments in fossil fuels. It is no coincidence that it takes place two days before the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26, which will kick off in Glasgow, UK on October 31. Definancing fossil fuels should be a topic of discussion, believes Louis Ramirez. “We want to get the public’s attention to put pressure on it,” he adds.

Across Canada, actions are planned in 50 cities, according to Louis Ramirez. 26 countries are also preparing mobilization activities against the financing of fossil fuels on Friday.

Extinction Rebellion is an environmental group that advocates peaceful civil disobedience to bring attention to the issues of the climate crisis. In Quebec, activists had notably blocked the Jacques-Cartier Bridge in October 2019 and installed an advertising banner in the Mile End in September 2020.