Between climate activists and Credit Suisse, the episodes follow one another and are not about to end. As the Vaud prosecutor calls for the acquittal of the 12 activists after the occupation of a bank branch in Lausanne, Geneva, the trial between Credit Suisse and an activist will be held next Tuesday before the Police Court. On October 13, 2018, the young protester had participated in a symbolic action “red hands”, by placing his hands full of paint on the front of the seat. Five days before the trial, a delegation went to bring to the new boss of Credit Suisse in Zurich, the report of the IPCC and a report “on the misdeeds of its bank in matters of fossil fuels”, accompanied, for the wink humorous, of the score played by the Titanic orchestra when it sank.
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Before getting on the train, the activists summoned the press and gave the floor to comedian Thomas Wiesel in order to “attract the attention of Credit Suisse who ignores us”.
The stand-up star made a mockery of the disproportion between the act of civil disobedience and the judicial repression suffered by the activists. “Lots of things have happened with Credit Suisse lately. Following the Red Hands affair, they arrested a guy: the paint was washable but he was fined 20 days and Credit Suisse asked for 2,300 francs to clean up. Two thousand balls to clean a window: I think Credit Suisse is going to invest in window cleaning, it looks super profitable. Between 2016 and 2018, the bank invested two billion francs in coal mining companies and 1.9 billion in companies producing electricity from coal. But hey, they are forced because of profit. Frankly, the person who didn’t put $ 4 billion into the coal industry this year throws the first stone at us! “
Four claims
An activist with BreakFree, a climate-friendly non-violent action group, listed the four demands made on Credit Suisse. “We are calling for the publication of a credible strategy and the complete divestment of fossil fuels by 2030. We are waiting for the bank not to sign new direct or indirect investments in these fuels. We demand transparency on its financial flows, and ask it to end the judicial repression it exercises against climate activists. “
After having fun with digress on the spinning business at Credit Suisse, Thomas Wiesel resumes his claims. “You would have to tell them: ladies and gentlemen of Credit Suisse, obviously you have more detectives than contract bankers, it would be good to have them watch Aramco in Saudi Arabia, the biggest oil producer in the world, that you have helped to go public two months ago; in the United States, where you support the export of shale gas; in Germany, where you finance RWE which extracts the most polluting coal in the world; in Qatar, with your shareholders who are the world leaders in liquefied natural gas; in the Arctic, where you fund drilling; in Alberta where you’re very active in the oil sands industry. And then come and look us in the eye and tell us that you are heroes of the climate cause. The Swiss financial center pollutes 20 times more than the whole country combined and as long as this is the case, there will be some annoyers like these tofu eaters in Birkenstock, or me, to come and remind you. ”
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