Extinction Rebellion stage bank and beach protests in Hartlepool in lead up to national action

The first outside the town’s branch of Barclays this morning, Saturday, August 29, where the campaigners dressed as bankers carried cleaning equipment to call on finance firms to not invest in fossil fuels.

During the afternoon, they moved on to Seaton Carew, where dressed as politicans, they sat in deck chairs on the tideline to raise concerns about rising sea levels as the Grim Reaper circled.

The events were part of Countdown to Rebellion which started in the North East yesterday in Middlesbrough, where people raised issues about pollution, with banners relating to mining unveiled at locations across the region.

Another will be held tomorrow outside the Baltic gallery in Gateshead and on Monday at Saltholme bird sanctuary, highlighting issues with plans to increase power stations into conservation land.

It has previously placed 1,000 pairs of children’s shoes outside Durham Cathedral to express its concerns.

The Countdown to Rebellion is part of the build-up to further action nationally, with the organisation saying the Bank Holiday weekend would be “filled with creative, nonviolent direct action to draw attention to the greatest existential threat we face: the climate and ecological emergency that threatens the living world.”

Among the Hartlepool protestors was Jess Maddison, 16, who is due to begin studies into textiles at The Northern School of Art with a view to looking at sustainability.

She said: “For me, it’s absolutely imperative for the future of our planet and everyone’s future that something is done about these toxic systems.

"Anybody can contribute to this and make a change, but we want the governments and companies to listen, because they are the ones in charge of policies.”

Extinction Rebellion has said its key demands are for the Government to tell the truth about the ecological emergency, reverse “inconsistent policies” and work alongside the media to communicate with people; It must enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and to reduce consumption levels and launch a national Citizens’ Assembly to “oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose.”

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