By Jack Mendel
Environmental activists were ejected from Lord’s Cricket Ground after unfurling a banner protesting its ties to J.P. Morgan.
Doctors for Extinction Rebellion hung a poster from the top tier of a stand during the first day of the first Test between England and South Africa on Monday.
The protest was against J.P. Morgan, which it said was “bankrolling new oil and gas” projects. XR claimed J.P. Morgan had pumped $384.2 billion into the fossil fuel industry since 2016.
Campaigners said the JPM was the “biggest financier of fossil fuels in the world and a principal sponsor of Lord’s”.
XR has help regular protests against the fossil fuel industry amid rising energy bills and fears over supply due to the war in Ukraine.
It wrote to the MCC’s current and incoming president, Clare Connor and Stephen Fry, bemoaning the “failure to immediately stop all new fossil fuel investments is clear and unequivocally”.
GP Dr Chris Newman, who was one of the two protestors involved said JP Morgan was “complicit” in bringing the UK into “the era of 40 degree summers” and worsening climate change.
A spokesperson for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) which owns Lord’s defended its partnership with J.P. Morgan, saying the banner “was immediately removed by stewards, and those responsible were ejected from the Ground in accordance with our ground regulations.
“MCC puts sustainability at the forefront of its running of the Club” and the ground operates “on 100% renewable energy since 2016”.
“J.P. Morgan is a principal partner and longstanding supporter of MCC and cricket at Lord’s and we are working with them, as we do with all of our partners, on aligning with the Club’s own environmental values.”
A J.P. Morgan spokesperson told City A.M: “In 2021, we facilitated more than $100 billion for green activities like renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transportation, doubled our green investment banking activity and were the largest underwriter of green bonds. T
“These efforts help put us well on our way to our target of $1 trillion for green initiatives over 10 years, including for technology that will tackle climate change but does not even exist yet.”
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