Bank in Cornwall covered in red paint by protesters

A branch of a Cornish bank has been covered in red paint by protesters during one of the town’s biggest celebrations of the year. The Barclays bank on Market Jew Street in Penzance was targeted ahead of the Golowan weekend.

The Midsummer festival brings tens of thousands of people to the city for a ten-day frenzy of arts, performances, culture and parades. It is said to be the second largest street festival in the UK. You can see our pictures of the highlights of the occasion,

But on Friday (June 28) night, protesters made their mark ahead of the event by walking across the bank’s facade with red paint. The messages on the bench read “Free Palestine.”

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It is unclear who was responsible for this act, but similar events have happened across the country targeting the banking giant. Protesters targeted more than two dozen branches, including several in London.

Campaign group Palestine Action claimed responsibility for many of them, with the group sharing various photos of bags of stones, some painted with Palestinian flags. They also shared slogans saying things like “Barclays killer and proud” and “For our soul Reem”.

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Golowan (sometimes also Goluan) is the Cornish word for midsummer celebrations in Cornwall, UK. They were widespread before the end of the 19th century and most popular in the Penwith area and particularly in Penzance, where it is still a staple in the Cornwall calendar, taking place between 21st and 30th June each year.

One of the protesters said: “‘Barclays offers billions in investment to arms companies that supply weapons and military technology to Israel. They profit from supporting and arming Israel and enabling its genocidal war against the Palestinian people.

“Barclays was first boycotted in the 1980s for investing in and supporting South Africa’s white minority government and apartheid state. They consistently prove to be on the wrong side of history. This action was taken to draw people’s attention to the fact that Barclays puts profit before people, even at the cost of human life and liberty.”

A Barclays spokesman previously said of the nationwide vandalism: “We provide vital financial services to public companies in the US, UK and Europe that supply defense products to NATO and its allies. Barclays does not invest directly in these companies.

“The defense sector is fundamental to our national security and the UK Government has been clear that supporting defense companies is compatible with ESG considerations.

“Decisions regarding the implementation of arms embargoes to other nations are the responsibility of the respective elected governments. While we support the right to protest, we ask that activists do so in a way that respects our customers, colleagues and property.”