Protesters take aim at Aviva as shareholder meetings face disruption

It comes after NatWest’s annual general meeting (AGM) was halted by activists accusing the bank of backtracking on climate commitments.

Several protesters shouting and chanting outside a boardroom were escorted or carried out of the building, delaying the start of the meeting.

The group claims 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.

The disruption comes a week after NatWest was forced to stop its AGM for about half-an-hour amid disruption during its chairman’s opening speech.

Rick Haythornthwaite, NatWest’s chairman, defended its policies and said the financing of oil and gas comprises 0.6% of the group’s total lending.

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Meanwhile, Barclays is expected to be targeted at its AGM in London on Thursday, with activist groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Campaign Against Arms Trade organising a protest outside the meeting.