A conference of British insurance brokers was the site of a protest by climate activists last week, as members of Extinction Rebellion Manchester gathered at the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) Conference on Wednesday (13th May).
Time: to address the burning questions
The conference, hosted by BIBA, one of the UK insurance industry’s most important trade associations, is the industry’s largest annual gathering and is attended by thousands of brokers and insurance professionals. This year, the conference was billed as “Time: To Address the Burning Questions.”
Adopting this theme for themselves, the protesters posed their own “burning questions”. And challenged what they described as the insurance sector’s role in enabling “environmentally and socially destructive industries”.
The protesters carried flame-shaped placards, banners, and climate-themed signs, calling on major insurance companies to take stronger action on both the climate crisis and related social issues.
‘Some insurance companies profit from industries linked to destruction’
An Extinction Rebellion Manchester spokesperson said:
“Insurance companies help make destructive industries possible. Without insurance, new fossil fuel projects can’t go ahead, pipelines are not built, and weapons manufacturers cannot operate.
BIBA’s conference theme this year is ‘TIME: To Address the Burning Questions’. We agree. It is time to ask why insurers continue to profit from industries linked to climate destruction, war, and human suffering. We want a liveable future for everyone, not huge profits for a few.”
The members of Extinction Rebellion Manchester, whose aim is to create a world that is fit for the next seven generations to live in, displayed messages demanding investment in climate solutions, biodiversity restoration, flood protection, and community resilience.
War, human rights and the planet as a whole
The group also criticised insurers for profiting from their links to what they consider to be harmful industries, including claims that AVIVA underwrites or invests in UK detention, accommodation, and surveillance contractors, including Serco and G4S, which are accused of human rights abuses.
A large orange banner reading “Time: To Address the Burning Questions” was the centrepiece of the protest, alongside images which contrasted environmental destruction with renewable energy and ecological restoration.
A person dressed in a Grim Reaper costume also symbolised what campaigners described as the “deadly consequences of climate breakdown, war, and human rights abuses linked to industries insured by major firms attending the conference.”
Pictures used by Extinction Rebellion North, showing:
- Protesters stand holding placards calling for climate action and flood protection, while one person displays a sign urging divestment from war and investment in climate solutions.
- Climate protesters held signs demanding biodiversity restoration, ecosystem protection and community resilience, alongside imagery contrasting healthy forests with drought-stricken land.
- Demonstrators gathered outside the BIBA Conference, holding a large orange banner reading “Time: To address the burning question”, accompanied by flame-themed placards and a Grim Reaper figure.
After a press release by Extinction Rebellion North.
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