On September 12th, Climate Justice London activists re-branded RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) bank signs at two downtown locations in London, Ontario.  We taped up sheets about how RBC "KILLS" to continue our ongoing campaigning against tar sands injustices and devastation. 

Our bank re-branding actions were carried out in solidarity with climate camp activists in Montreal who were confronting representatives of dirty industries at a World Energy Congress. Here in Ontario we targetted RBC, the leading financier of tar sands operations in Alberta -- the most destructive and unsustainable project on earth.  Other major Canadian banks have similar blood on their hands, so making an example of RBC is just a strategic way of pressing for wider changes among the big banks.  Activists also have targetted RBC in other parts of the country, and that common target has helped with getting together a little solidarity between our groups. 

Here in London (Ontario), our messages about RBC and climate justice were up on RBC's signs for at least a day.  Our "global warming crime scene" tape didn't hold out for nearly as long, but we were able to recover most of it after it was torn down.

The climatejustice.tk web address we taped on RBC's signs and ATM pointed people to our web site, where there is information about how RBC "KILLS".  A quick street message can't give much information in itself, but a web address is a way to offer some background.  And absentee managers and owners leave easy corporate property targets for us.

The skull image that we taped to RBC's sign is a symbol of mining industry piracy.  The skull we made was a variation on part of a pirate Canadian flag that mining campaigners had brought to the Quebec climate camp in August.  The made their pirate flag to point out how companies based in Canada are world leaders in mining operations (with loads of foreign investments).  Here in Ontario, our pirate image was used to re-brand the local RBC headquarters.  Since the tar sands are a mining operation, RBC has an important hand in mining industry looting and pillaging.

The French button also is from the August climate camp in Dunham, Quebec.  The button reads 'Change the system!  Not the climate!'.

Here is a video of the re-branding at the local headquarters.