Dorchester woman faces jail for protest at Barclays bank, London

Rosemary Webster, 65, was one of seven women who took part in an Extinction Rebellion action on the morning of April 7 2021, which saw them break windows at the headquarters of Barclay’s bank in Canary Wharf to protest against the bank’s investment in fossil fuels.

The seven used hammers and chisels to break six windows and attached stickers to the building bearing slogans that said ‘break glass in case of climate emergency.’

Rosemary Annie Webster, 65, Cazzie Wood, 53, Gabby Ditton, 28, Lucy Porter, 48, Niki Stickells, 52, Sophie Cowen, 31 and Zoe Cohen, 52, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on December 5 2022 and were convicted for causing around £100k worth of criminal damage. They each now face up to 18 months in jail.

The women put stickers on Barclays bank after breaking the glass during the protest (Image: Extinction Rebellion)

Mrs Webster, who is a retired cook, said that if someone had told her that she might one day go to prison, she would not have believed them – but is willing to risk her freedom because she fears for her grandson’s future, predicting that climate change will lead to food insecurity, water shortages and civil unrest.

She described Barclays as the ‘county lines of banking,’ and told jurors the company is the global banking industry’s seventh-largest funder of fossil fuels, and the largest in Europe.

Speaking to the Echo ahead of her sentencing on January 27, she the seven women wore patches that said ‘better broken windows than broken promises’ a slogan used by the Suffragettes, who broke windows while campaigning for women’s right to vote.

“We took utmost care in planning the action so that very few people were around – we didn’t want to put anyone at risk,” she said.

“Afterwards we put all our implements down in front of us and sat down on the pavement and waited for the police to come and arrest us. I was terrified.”

The 'Barclays Seven' now face prison sentences after their protest at Barclays HQ in Canary Wharf, London (Image: Gareth Morris)

 Mrs Webster, along with four other of her co-defendants, self-represented in court to plead not guilty. All seven were found guilty on a majority verdict of 11 to one.

“The judge told us that we had committed a very, very serious crime,” Mrs Webster said.

“Personally I see many other things as more of a dangerous, serious crime – I don’t believe I fit into the box of a serious criminal.

“I don't want to go to prison; I’m afraid of what will happen. But if it's necessary, if that's what is meted out to me, then I’ll accept the consequences if this is what it takes to give young people the chance of a better future.”