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BIS: In Basel, Sweden’s Greta Thunberg joins march against fossil fuel financing

Greta Thunberg in Basel
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg at the "People's Parade for Climate Justice and Financial Regulation" in Basel on June 24, 2023. © Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joined on Saturday a demonstration against the financing of fossil fuels in the Swiss city of Basel.

The authorised “People’s Parade for Climate Justice and Financial Regulation” drew about 400 people, including an international delegation of around 30 “Fridays for Future” activists.

The 20-year-old Swede arrived at the starting point of the rally holding a small red flag with the words “End fossil finance! “She refused to answer journalists’ questions, according to Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA.

  + Switzerland’s Greta is called Marie-Claire

The intended end point of the march was the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), where representatives of central banks from around the world were expected on Sunday for a general meeting. Police prevented them from reaching the site. The demonstrators had hoped to present the financial institution with a petition calling for an end to fossil fuel finance.

On Twitter, Thunberg called BIS “the global watchdog of the financial system.”  She was last in Switzerland earlier this year, when she attended the World Economic Forum (WEF). 

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