Police statement after Barclays branches targeted by pro-Palestine groups with red paint

Criminal damage investigations have been launched by police after branches of the high street bank Barclays in Greater Manchester were targeted with red paint and had their windows smashed in early hours attacks.

Greater Manchester Police said it was investigating 'two reports of criminal damage from the early hours' in relation to branches in Bury and Stockport.

Campaign group Palestine Action said it has 'targeted' 20 branches of Barclays across England and Scotland today.

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Images of paint thrown over windows and doors, and smashed windows and doors, echo similar scenes at a number of Barclays branches across Greater Manchester last week. The branch on Market Street in Bolton was targeted, as well as two branches on Market Street and Mosley Street in Manchester city centre.

And GMP has also revealed to the Manchester Evening News that 14 arrests in relation to 17 similar reports of criminal damage since April have now been made.

A spokesperson for GMP told the M.E.N.: "We are investigating two reports of criminal damage from the early hours this morning (Monday 10 June) involving red graffiti over buildings on Central Street, Bury and Bridge Street, Stockport.

"To date, we have made 14 arrests in relation to 17 similar reports of criminal damage since October 2023 where buildings have been targeted with red paint across Greater Manchester. This behaviour is totally unacceptable and won’t be tolerated."

Palestine Action said branches in Moorgate, Palace Street, Richmond, Croydon, Wellington Road and Peckham in London were targeted, along with Barclays banks in Glasgow, Exeter, Sheffield, Brighton, Northampton, Bristol, Birmingham, Solihull and Preston, Bury and Stockport, as well as an office in Edinburgh.

The vandalism was a joint action with a newly-formed climate change group called Shut The System.

Palestine Action said the sites had windows smashed and paint thrown at them as part of a protest calling on the bank to divest from arms companies that sell to Israel, as well as firms linked to fossil fuels.

City of London Police, meanwhile, said three men were arrested over the damage to the building in Moorgate.

A spokesperson for Barclays said: "We provide vital financial services to US, UK and European public companies that supply defence products to NATO and its allies. Barclays does not directly invest in these companies. The defence sector is fundamental to our national security and the UK government has been clear that supporting defence companies is compatible with ESG considerations. Decisions on the implementation of arms embargos to other nations are the job of respective elected governments.”

"While we support the right to protest, we ask that campaigners do so in a way which respects our customers, colleagues and property."