Spoof adverts criticising Wimbledon’s partnership with Barclays have appeared near the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Billboards, as well as Tube and bus shelter adverts, near the tournament have been replaced with artworks alleging the bank provides “financial support to the arms trade and companies worsening climate breakdown”.
One of the posters, installed by activism group Brandalism, depicts a tennis court with a bomb crater along with the Barclays logo and the words “From Gaza to global warming we’re making a killing”.
Another shows a player with tennis whites stained with blood and oil as soiled banknotes spill from their pockets, while another bears the words “Partners in climate crimes and genocide” beside the names of Barclays and Wimbledon.
It came as pro-Palestine activists protested outside the All England Club as the Championships began on Monday, calling for Wimbledon to drop Barclays as its sponsor.
A spokesperson for “anonymous arts collective” Brandalism, Kit Speedwell, said: “Wimbledon’s cherished strawberries and cream image has been thoroughly sullied by its decision to partner with Barclays, the most toxic bank in Europe, while the bank continues to pour millions into the arms trade and fossil fuel companies driving climate chaos.
“Wimbledon must stop providing cover for Barclays’ grotesque lack of morals and immediately end the sponsorship deal.”
A Barclays spokesperson said: “We are proud of our partnership with Wimbledon which supports the growth of The Championships and opportunities for young people across the UK through the Wimbledon Foundation.
“Like many other banks, we provide financial services to companies supplying defence products to the UK, NATO and its allies. We are also financing an energy sector in transition, including providing $1trn of Sustainable and Transition Finance by 2030 to build a cleaner and more secure energy system.”
On allegations about links to the defence sector, the spokesperson added: “We provide vital financial services to US, UK and European public companies that supply defence products to NATO and its allies. Barclays does not directly invest in these companies.
“The defence sector is fundamental to our national security and decisions on the implementation of arms embargoes to other nations are the job of respective elected governments.”
A spokesperson for the All England Club said, “Barclays is an important partner of ours and we are working closely with them in a number of areas, including through our Set for Success programme, which is helping to support disadvantaged secondary students in schools across the UK.
“As a result of Barclays’ support this programme has expanded from 19 to 42 secondary schools across the UK, enabling more young people to gain confidence and build leadership skills to improve their future opportunities in life.”
