Activist group Brandalism has unveiled a set of hard-hitting billboard hacks around the Wimbledon tennis tournament, criticising the bank’s links with the fossil fuel and arms trade .
Over 300 commercial billboard, tube and bus shelter ads near the tournament have been replaced with artworks strongly criticising the bank.
A set of Barclays-branded artwork shows a tennis player lying in a pool of blood on a tennis court crater with the words: ‘From Gaza to global warming, we’re making a killing’.
Meanwhile, another billboard close to the tournament shows a player in tennis whites stained with blood and oil as banknotes spill from their pockets.
It comes as organisers of the tournament are facing growing calls from climate and Palestine solidarity campaigners to end its sponsorship deal with Barclays, reportedly worth £20 million.
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It comes after a number of other events and organisations have dropped Barclays sponsorship
“When May broke global heating records last month, it was the twelfth consecutive month to do so,” said Badvertising campaigner Andrew Simms.
“Heat extremes threaten fans and athletes alike and the core business of Wimbledon’s polluter sponsors, Barclays and Jaguar Land Rover, is locking in more lethal climate extremes to come. If they were players, the match referee would disqualify them for dangerous behaviour,” he added.
Make My Money Matter CEO Tony Burdon said: “Wimbledon says it is proud of its partnership with Barclays. But Barclays was Europe’s largest financier of fossil fuels in 2023 – the hottest year on record. Barclays is the new Shell, and is using Wimbledon’s great reputation to cover up its role in financing the climate crisis.”
“No decent organisation should be sponsored by Barclays, and if Wimbledon is serious about its legacy, and its commitment to the environment, then it must drop them.”
