On 5 September, comrades from the Revolutionary Communist Group joined Earth Strike North of the River, South & West London Earth Strike groups outside the headquarters of BlackRock as part of their 2020 Campaign ‘We Are Watching You’. This was the third mobilisation directed against huge multinational corporations that are situated in London from where they control the investments and actions that are destroying the planet. Like Unilever and Glencore, BlackRock is accelerating climate change by ruthless extractive mining and deforestation leaving behind a polluted planet and destroyed communities around the world.
{vsig}BlackRock_protest{/vsig}
BlackRock is the world’s largest backer of fossil fuel companies and agribusiness companies, both of which are the biggest drivers of climate change. But Blackrock the corporation produces nothing. It is a finance company and a massive player within almost every aspect of global capitalism, as it manages over $7.4 trillion dollars’ worth of assets, with shares in virtually every major listed company in the world. It advises central banks, including the Treasury in Britain, as well as financial ministries, big investors like state funds, pension funds and insurance companies and foundations. BlackRock is also among the largest investors in weapon manufacturers through its aerospace and defence funds.
Video: Earth Strike North of the River
Despite a heavy-handed intervention by City of London police at the start of the protest and the high level of policing throughout the event, using the pretext of Coronavirus Regulations on gatherings, the protest was a huge success, with over 90 people participating in the two-hour event. There were loud chants and music, and speeches from the London Mining Network, XR, Bolivia Solidarity Campaign, Brazilian Women Against Fascism, a West Papuan comrade and the Revolutionary Communist Group, as well as all other Earth Strike groups. The speeches were impassioned and informative and, together with the colourful placards, flags and banners, we all learned all we need to understand about the imperialist plunder and devastation that Black Rock invests in.
