Aviva’s offices in York were targeted by protesters on Wednesday, disrupting the insurer’s annual general meeting (AGM) amid a turbulent season for shareholder gatherings. The demonstration follows last week’s halt of NatWest’s AGM by activists accusing the bank of backtracking on climate commitments.
Protest Details
Campaign group Boycott Bloody Insurance claimed responsibility for the disruption, stating that 12 individuals who hold shares in Aviva were involved. Protesters shouted and chanted outside the boardroom, with some being escorted or carried out of the building, delaying the start of the meeting.
The group alleges that Aviva underwrites or invests in companies profiting from immigration detention and surveillance, fossil fuel giants, and weapons firms. Andrew Taylor, a campaigner at Boycott Bloody Insurance, said: “Aviva likes to present itself as an ethical business, but when you look at the companies it supports, that turns out to be a sham.”
Aviva declined to comment on the protests.
Broader Context
The disruption comes a week after NatWest was forced to pause its AGM for approximately half an hour during its chairman’s opening speech. Protesters sang and made statements about NatWest’s climate policies, while shareholder activists called on the banking group to address claims it had “reduced the ambition of its fossil fuel policy and climate targets.”
Rick Haythornthwaite, NatWest’s chairman, defended the bank’s policies, noting that financing for oil and gas constitutes just 0.6% of the group’s total lending.
Meanwhile, Barclays is expected to face similar protests at its AGM in London on Thursday, with activist groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Campaign Against Arms Trade organizing a demonstration outside the meeting.
