Three people were handcuffed and arrested by police inside the National Bank in Bendigo on Friday morning after refusing to leave the premises as they attempted to screen a video highlighting the bank's investment in fossil fuel companies.
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Dean Bridgfoot, Bernard Tonkin and a woman named Laura said they had spent about 45 minutes in the Mitchell St branch and tried to hand out popcorn for the screening, before being removed from the premises by police and released on the street.
The Castlemaine residents are members of the group Central Vic Climate Action, whose members were engaging in "nuisance and public opinion raising" activities as part of a national "Move Beyond Coal" campaign.
The action was one of 28 around Australia in a week aimed at drawing people's attention to the big banks' continuing investment in fossil fuel projects.
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"We have been trying to discuss fossil fuels with the National Bank for more than 10 years," Mr Tonkin told the Advertiser.
"NAB has invested $10 billion in fossil fuel projects since 2016 and refuses to rule out funding Whitehaven Coal to build a new coal mine in northern NSW."
"The recent IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) report stated there are to be no more fossil fuel projects if we're to have any chance of not overstepping 1.5 degrees [temperature increase] and avoiding spiralling catastrophes, including the sort of floods, fires and storms we have had in Australia in recent years."
Serena Everill, who was handing out flyers outside the bank, said around 50 people had stopped briefly to talk about the issue.
The National Australia Bank told the Advertiser it respected the right of people to protest.
"However when these activities impact the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues and customers we will call police," an NAB spokesperson said.
On its website NAB says its financing activity supports a transition to net zero emissions by 2050, and it doesn't support new thermal coal projects.
"In relation to questions about financing particular resources companies or projects, NAB's approach is not to comment on individual customers or transactions," the bank says.
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