Global Justice Now has defended Extinction Rebellion protesters taking direct action against banks and financial institutions in the City of London.

It comes after Extinction Rebellion activists threw red paint over Standard Chartered bank during a Money Rebellion protest targeting the UK’s main financial district.

Global Justice Now says it is “heartening to see Extinction Rebellion highlight the role of the City of London in bankrolling climate chaos”, noting that the banks are “deeply embedded in the root cause of the climate crisis – our global economic system”.

The group has defended direct action against institutions as “a legitimate nonviolent political tactic”, calling today’s action “a modest response to the death and destruction fuelled by the City.”

Daniel Willis, campaigns and policy manager at Global Justice Now, said:

“It is heartening to see Extinction Rebellion highlight the role of the City of London in bankrolling climate chaos. Direct action is a legitimate nonviolent political tactic – and a modest response to the death and destruction fuelled by the City.

“Whether it’s financing fossil fuels, using trade rules to remove environmental protections, or demanding debt repayments that prevent the global south from investing in climate adaptation, these corporations and financial institutions are deeply embedded in the root cause of the climate crisis – our global economic system.”