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A protestor was arrested as Extinction Rebellion scaled and occupied insurance buildings and unleashed the Four Insurers of the Apocalypse to warn of looming social collapse and unrest [1] in a third day of actions targeting insurers in the City of London.

One protestor was arrested today (Wednesday) as Extinction Rebellion’s Insure Our Survival campaign escalated their week of actions in the City of London demanding that insurers stop insuring the oil, gas and coal projects causing extreme weather such as the terrifying floods that have killed at least 51 people Valencia and other cities in Spain. 

One arrest happened as ten XR activists in business suits occupied the offices of insurers AIG Talbot – major insurers of fossil fuels –  in Fenchurch Street. They have unfurled banners reading “AIG Stop Insuring climate criminals” and read out a statement demanding that the firm immediately stop insuring all new oil, gas and coal. 

Some of the group handed out leaflets to staff asking them to be superheroes by pressuring their bosses to pull the plug on insuring the deadly expansion of fossil fuel exploration and production, while others played a giant game of Climate Collapse Jenga in the street outside. 

One activist was arrested for an alleged breach of bail conditions while taking part in a ‘soft blockade’ outside the building, handing leaflets to arriving staff and holding banners reading “Insure Our Survival” and “Stop EACOP”, a reference to the planet-wrecking ‘Carbon bomb’ East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline that will only be possible if the developers can get insurance.

This afternoon, three Extinction Rebellion protestors scaled the outside of the famous Walkie Talkie building in the City, home to insurers Ascot, Talbot, Chaucer, Markel, Allied World, CNA Hardy, Tokio Marine Kiln, Sirius International and Lancashire Syndicates.

The trio took positions above the main revolving entrance doors and put up banners reading “Insure Our Survival” and “Insuring fossil fuels = Climate Chaos”. At the time of writing, all three were still in position and large numbers of police and security had sealed off the doors and surrounding area.  

Meanwhile, eight university students from the Education Climate Coalition staged a protest outside of the offices of QBE Underwriting and Aspen Management Agency in Fenchurch Street warning insurers: “Stop insuring fossil fuel projects or graduates will refuse to work for you.”

The group, from universities including London School of Economics, University College London and Imperial College London, held banners reading “Students won’t work for fossil fuel insurers” and “QBE & Aspen you won’t get our brains.”

One in three 18 to 24 year olds has “climate quit” companies with poor environmental policies. [2] Education Climate Coalition spokesperson Shana Sullivan, a University College London graduate and part-time PhD student, warned: “Any graduate with a conscience wouldn’t want to contribute to these injustices. We want to ensure fellow students and graduates know about it, and implore these companies to change their policies.”

The dramatic actions happened as hundreds of XR protestors marched through the streets of London staging a series of theatrical events that highlighted the focus of the day – the social collapse and unrest that will happen in the wake of flooding caused by the climate crisis that the UK’s top insurers are underwriting.

Throwing the government’s red budget briefcase into shade, the Four Insurers of the Apocalypse strode into the City of London with scarier versions. Three of the fearsome four toted red briefcases packed with Flood, Famine and War, while the fourth lit the fuse on a giant carbon bomb to overheat the planet. “It’s not looking good for ALL of our futures unless insurers stop insuring new oil, coal and gas,” one of them said.

Nearby, a dirty insurer in a gas mask was spotted lounging on a green Lamborghini and reading Insure Our Survival’s truth telling tabloid, The Sin. In a world exclusive, the only red top not owned by a business-as-usual billionaire revealed that insurers are boosting their profits by insuring fossil fuel crooks to flood our homes – then charging us more for flood insurance.  

A mass zombie die-in, scores of zombies and protesters “Discobedience” dancing to a climate emergency version of Michael Jackson’s hit single “Thriller” renamed “Driller Killer”, an Unfairground game, food, music and speeches, all combined to spread Insure Our Survival’s message throughout the City.

Insure Our Survival spokesperson, Steve Tooze, said: “These three days are about bringing home to the public and the insurance industry the terrible and deadly consequences of insuring new oil, gas and coal projects at a time of accelerating climate emergency.

“Today, we focus on the ultimate effect of flooding from climate crisis-driven extreme weather – social collapse, unrest and rioting as hungry, desperate people begin to panic. One of the world’s most respected climate research bodies, the Potsdam Institute, warns that will happen unless the fossil fuel criminals being enabled by the insurance industry are stopped from digging and drilling more of their deadly products. [3]

“We hope the insurers are hearing us loud and clear – you have the power to stop the fossil fuel industry in its tracks and until you use that power you will face an escalating campaign of protest and action that will wreck your reputation and damage your share price.

“Insurers will see evidence of this escalation tomorrow as protests spread out across the UK with Insure Our Survival activists targeting the insurance offices and operations in towns and cities in England, Wales and Scotland.” 

As today’s actions took place the medical profession’s most respected publication, The Lancet published a report called Countdown on Health and Climate Change that reports extreme drought is affecting 48% of the global land area. [4]

This is the final day of action in the City of London. The action will continue throughout the week in the following cities and towns: Manchester, Banbury, Northampton, Bath, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Colchester, Harrogate, Preston, Newbury, Eastbourne, Chester and Oxford.

Notes to editors

[1] Experts warn of risk of civil unrest in UK due to food shortages: https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2023/research/risk-civil-unrest-food-shortages/
[2] Climate quitting – younger workers voting with their feet on employer’s ESG commitments, January 2023: https://kpmg.com/uk/en/home/media/press-releases/2023/01/climate-quitting-younger-workers-voting-esg.html 
[3] The 2024 state of the climate report: Perilous times on planet Earth,  Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, October 2024: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biae087/7808595
[4] Extreme drought hits 48% of global land area The latest Lancet Countdown report reveals the health threats of climate change have reached record-breaking levels.

About Extinction Rebellion

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a decentralised, international and politically non-partisan movement using nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency.

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Time has almost entirely run out to address the climate and ecological crisis which is upon us, including the sixth mass species extinction, global pollution, and increasingly rapid climate change. If urgent and radical action isn’t taken, we’re heading towards 4˚C warming, leading to societal collapse and mass loss of life. The younger generation, racially marginalised communities and the Global South are on the frontline. No-one will escape the devastating impacts.