Climate activists charged after bank branch protests

Four members of Extinction Rebellion Whakatū were issued a summons by police over action yesterday outside the ANZ bank at Richmond, says one of the activists.

Josie Fields said she was one of the four who faced a charge of graffiti after the action, which involved stencilling messages and issuing a ‘‘summons’’ to ANZ. The ‘‘summons’’ accused the bank of having ‘‘knowingly committed intentional damage to the environment of planet earth’’, in part due to loans ANZ had made to fossil fuel companies.

‘‘We successfully did the ANZ on Trafalgar St [in Nelson] and we were halfway through the one in Richmond when the police arrived,’’ Fields said.

A police spokeswoman confirmed police attended the scene at Richmond, adjacent to Sundial Square, just before 6am.

Fields said similar action was taken by ‘‘Extinction Rebellion rebels’’ across the country.

The co-ordinated protests came on a day when three members from Auckland were due to appear in court on a charge of wilful damage after taking action against ANZ in October.