Climate activists stage ‘oil spill’ in front of Chase and BofA buildings uptown
About 20 protesters with Extinction Rebellion Youth Charlotte, a climate change activism group, protested in front of Bank of America and Chase offices in uptown on Friday. They were protesting the banks’ financial support of Enbridge, the company expanding Line 3, a tar sands oil pipeline from Alberta, Canada to Wisconsin.
Environmental activists claim the line puts drinking water and valuable Native-owned land at risk.
The activists urged the banks to divest from Enbridge and the Line 3 project, staging an “oil spill” by pouring molasses over protesters’ heads. BofA declined to comment.
“We are here in solidarity with the water protectors who are actually at Line 3 fighting this,” said Mckenna Hurlbut, a 17-year-old activist from Charlotte who volunteered to have the molasses spilled over her. “They don’t get enough media attention, and the eyes really need to be on them so we can stop the pipeline.”