PALESTINE rights and climate activists derailed Lloyds’ annual general meeting in Glasgow today to oppose the bank’s profiting from Israeli occupation and genocide.

Activists also demanded that the company stop investments in coal, oil, gas and arms companies.

Several shareholders stood up one by one to disrupt the meeting at the SEC Armadillo auditorium, causing significant delays.

Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) chairman Sir Robin Budenberg attempted to speak over the protesters but was forced to stop as the disruption continued.

One protester said Lloyds is “funding genocide in Gaza” and “funding climate catastrophe.”

“Everywhere you look, you can see it happening,” they added, referring to wildfires and floods, before being removed by security guards.

Another protester asked Sir Robin if his “£6 million salary” does not pay for Specsavers glasses, referring to his apparent ignorance of current events.

The demonstrator said: “Do you not see that Lloyds is funding the arms that are destroying people’s futures?

“You are robbing, you are denying people their futures. Don’t just focus on the shareholder profits, focus on what makes us human.”

LBG provided almost €4.5 billion (£3.86bn) in financial services to arms companies, including €273.9 million (£235.11m) of financing for Israeli weapons supplier BAE Systems and €455.5m (£391m) to Lockheed Martin, according to research by Netherlands-based peace group PAX in 2022.

Scottish Friends of Palestine’s Gordon Keenan said: “We are simply calling on the bank to comply with international law.

“As the [International Court of Justice] has ruled, Palestinians must be protected from genocide.

“Lloyds must stop financing arms companies now if it does not want to be held responsible for genocide and human rights abuses linked to occupation.”