Wall Street bank Citigroup has urged employees to “remain calm” as anti-Israel protesters blockade its New York headquarters.
Video obtained by The Washington Post showed pro-Palestinian protesters blocking an entrance to Citi’s offices in lower Manhattan, waving signs and chanting slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.”
This was a change from previous protests over the past three weeks, in which climate activists Wearing a killer whale costume They gathered outside City offices and chanted “Sink the yacht!” Brawl in the Square And there were many arrests.
“I know many of you, like me, were uncomfortable with some of the words and actions, but we must remain calm,” Ed Schuyler, head of enterprise services and public affairs at Citigroup, said in an internal memo this week obtained by The Washington Post.
“We respect the right to protest, but we will not do so at the expense of our colleagues’ safety or when others continue to perpetrate abuse and hatred,” Schuyler said. “Simply put, we do not tolerate intimidation or acts of violence, and we condemn anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, hate acts, discrimination and bigotry of any kind.”
Anti-Israel protesters have attacked a financial deal purportedly made by Citigroup to help Israel buy fighter jets from the US government.
In the memo, Schuyler said Citi was “proud” to have had a presence in Israel for 30 years, but also said the protesters’ information was false and that loans to military equipment for the US and its allies require senior-level approval.
Citigroup “does not directly finance” biological, chemical or nuclear weapons, and the bank is rarely asked to loan money for military equipment, according to a copy of the memo obtained by Bloomberg.
Climate activists, a group called “Wall Street Hot Summer,” Website They are targeting coal, oil and gas companies with “joyful, relentless nonviolent direct action.”
“We will be working hard every week, every month, all summer long,” the website said.
A Summer of Heat spokesman said Citigroup has “pumped $396.3 billion into coal, oil and gas projects since the Paris Agreement came into force in 2016.” Bank Dive Report.
“Hundreds of brave activists have been relentlessly engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience actions for months to protest Citigroup, which is immorally profiting from the fossil fuel industry that is literally burning down the planet,” a representative for Summer of Heat told The Post.
Activists told Bloomberg that around 200 protesters have been arrested in the past few weeks and that protesters are aiming to block officials from entering the building.
“While it is extremely frustrating when access to our building is temporarily blocked, we have no choice but to let the professionals do their job,” Schuyler said in the memo, which also reportedly expressed gratitude to local police.
Regarding environmental measures, Citigroup Pledged to spend $1 trillion in 2021 Committing to sustainability through 2030.
“Citi is not the only financial institution facing these protests. As a global bank, we are committed to remaining an active part of the communities we serve,” Schuyler said in a copy of the memo obtained by The Post.
