Members of Extinction Rebellion and the Mothers Rebellion for Climate Justice were involved in a demonstration on Altrincham high street this morning.

A circle of mothers sat outside the Barclays branch on George Street holding placards with the names of their children alongside warning messages about the climate crisis on Saturday morning (November 18). The hour-long peaceful protest, organised by Extinction Rebellion Trafford, aimed to raise awareness of the risks children around the world face due to global warming.

Jemma, a mother of two from Altrincham who took part, said: “As mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunties and teachers, we are scared for our children’s futures and devastated for the children around the world already dying from the effects of air pollution, droughts and flooding.

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“Our circle highlights the lack of government action to protect children from climate breakdown and demonstrates how businesses, such as Barclays, are continuing to fund and profit from fossil fuels.

“This peaceful, inclusive action provides hope that change can be achieved when we refuse to look away and refuse to give up - for our children and all children everywhere.”

Demonstrators held signs whilst sat in a peaceful 'prayer circle' outside the bank on Altrincham high street
Demonstrators held signs whilst sat in a peaceful 'prayer circle' outside the bank on Altrincham high street

The demonstration was held as part of a global day of action, which has seen similar action outside Parliament Square in London, as well as planned demonstrations in Melbourne, Berlin, Reykjavik, Delhi, Montréal, Copenhagen, Los Angeles and Zimbabwe.

The Mothers Rebellion for Climate Justice said that air pollution, extreme weather, flooding and violent conflicts are a reality to many children growing up today. Ahead of the day of action, the group posted on Instagram: “Members have been busy preparing for their Mothers* circles being held at various locations around the UK this weekend for the third wave of global action with @mothersrebellionglobal.

“We are all connected as Mothers around the world, by the love that we have for our children. We refuse to look away, we refuse to give up. We hope you’ll join us.”

Demonstrators held signs whilst sat in a peaceful 'prayer circle' outside the bank on Altrincham high street
Demonstrators held signs whilst sat in a peaceful 'prayer circle' outside the bank on Altrincham high street

Barclays has previously said it was one of the first banks to announce its ambition to be net zero by 2050 by investing in low-carbon technologies and infrastructure. In Barclays annual report, the bank noted that it had reduced its emissions across its energy, power, steel and cement sectors in 2022. Absolute emissions generated by its energy clients had dropped by 32pc since 2020 - although it acknowledged that more needed to be done.

Last year, Barclay's Group Chief Executive C.S. Venkatakrishnan said: "The industrial revolution took over a century to transform the planet, and we cannot hope to undo overnight its deleterious impact on the environment. We are still at an early stage of this journey-but are committed to the destination and will persevere to reach it. One of my foremost priorities is for Barclays to demonstrate steady and significant progress against our net zero ambition."