Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio among A-List celebs calling on bank to defund BC pipeline

Dozens of A-list celebrities are calling on the Royal Bank of Canada to defund the CoastalLink pipeline in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en land defenders.

City National Bank has been dubbed Hollywood’s “bank to the stars,” and its parent company is the Royal Bank of Canada. Now, 65 A-list celebrities are throwing their weight behind Wet’suwet’en land defenders. They are calling for the pipeline, set to go through unceded Wet’suwet’en territory, to be defunded.

“It has come to the undersigned’s attention that our industry’s premier ‘bank to the stars,’ City National Bank (CNB), has a problem. Its parent company, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), is financing the climate crisis and disregarding the rights of Indigenous Peoples,” the letter begins.

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Today, I’m joining 65+ Hollywood celebrities & @Indigenous_ca to demand @CityNational’s parent company @RBC withdraw support for the @CoastalGasLink pipeline, which is in violation of the rights & sovereignty of @Gidimten people. https://t.co/YXlhEPDovt https://t.co/uRGkdp6hwm

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) March 16, 2022

Mark Ruffalo, one of the signatories, is calling for the banks to be on the right side of history as the world faces a climate crisis.

“CNB and RBC have the opportunity to stand on the right side of history, and that starts with immediately divesting from Coastal GasLink,” he said. “I’m heartened not only by the power of Wet’suwet’en land defenders, but also by my community of artists rising up to demand an end to all fossil fuel finance as we live through this climate catastrophe.”

Alongside dozens of actors & musicians like @MarkRuffalo & @alexanderebert & @Indigenous_ca – I demand @CityNational’s parent company @RBC immediately #DefundCoastalGasLink and respect the rights of Wet’suwet’en people @Gidimten https://t.co/XZLPbRe5JH #NoMoreDirtyBanks

— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) March 15, 2022

Actors, musicians, producers, athletes, and other artists signed the letter. Big names on the list include Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Stiller, Taika Waititi, Scarlett Johansson, Ava DuVernay, Joakim Noah, and many more. See the full list here.

RBC is the #1 fossil fuel financier in Canada. Join @Gidimten @Indigenous_ca & 65+ celebs to demand @CityNational’s parent co @RBC divest from @CoastalGasLink & defund tar sands, the world’s dirtiest source of oil.https://t.co/RvkacaRXUb#NoMoreDirtyBanks #AllOutForWedzinKwa pic.twitter.com/7jdxS19FPK

— Gidimt’en Checkpoint (@Gidimten) March 16, 2022

Wet’suwet’en land defenders have faced violence while trying to keep the pipeline from being built on their land.

“The gas pipeline violates our hereditary title, and has led to years of RCMP violence and harassment of peaceful Indigenous land defenders, and the forced removal of Wet’suwet’en peoples from our territory. We’ve been crystal clear: RBC must divest from this toxic project, which threatens Wet’suwet’en land, air and water, and steamrolls Indigenous rights.” Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’, Molly Wickham said in a press release.

You can join the call to action and add your name to the list of signatories here.