Extinction Rebellion activists disrupted the ING annual shareholder meeting in Amsterdam on Tuesday. Police quickly removed the protesters from the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ. Unlike last year, officials did not need to suspend the meeting, as security acted swiftly to restore order.
The activists highlighted the harmful effects of mining in Colombia and financial services in Palestinian territories. Specifically, Extinction Rebellion claimed that ING maintains ties with companies involved in the occupied West Bank. However, ING previously issued a statement denying that any of its funds support activities in those regions.
Meanwhile, other climate activists avoided disruptions and chose to ask direct questions instead. They questioned whether ING would meet its climate targets and challenged the bank’s continued funding of fossil fuel companies. Because these questions often followed long speeches, Chairman Karl Guha repeatedly asked the speakers to be concise. For instance, Winnie Oussoren of Milieudefensie Jong argued that ING still invests in new oil and gas fields despite the current energy crisis.
In response, ING Chief Executive Steven van Rijswijk defended the bank’s policies. He argued that broad climate goals apply to society as a whole rather than to the bank individually. Furthermore, he explained that ING prefers to work with companies to help them transition toward sustainability. Van Rijswijk also emphasised that the bank has already stopped financing certain projects, such as new LNG export terminals.
@ anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
