More than 65 Hollywood stars have added their names to an open letter urging the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) to stop funding a gas pipeline running through local Indigenous territory.
Famous faces including Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Taika Waititi and Scarlett Johansson are among those condemning the billion-dollar Coastal GasLink in northwest British Columbia.
The petition, organized by Indigenous Climate Action, says the work is being done without the consent of the hereditary chieftains of the Wet’suwet’en peoples.
The open letter was sent to City National Bank (CNB), a bank owned by RBC, and dubbed the Bank to the Stars due to its connections to many famous figures.
Also on the list of signers are Brian Cox, Jane Fonda, Robert Downey Jr, Edward Norton, Ben Stiller, Amy Schumer, Michelle Pfeiffer and Joaquin Phoenix.
“The signer noticed that our industry leading bank, ‘City National Bank (CNB), had problems,” the letter reads.
“Its parent company, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), is funding the climate crisis and doesn’t care about Indigenous rights.
Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson is among those condemning the billion-dollar Coastal GasLink (Ian West/PA)
“Despite claiming to ‘respect the inherent self-determination of Indigenous Peoples’, RBC is currently the lead financier of Coastal GasLink, a damaged gas pipeline built through the territory and pristine waters of the country. People of Wet’suwet’en without the consent of hereditary patriarchs.
“For more than a decade, the hereditary Chiefs of Wet’suwet’en, members of the nation and their supporters, have opposed this approach – at considerable risk to life. their.”
CNB declined to comment on the letter and RBC has also been contacted.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/leonardo-dicaprio-among-stars-to-sign-letter-condemning-canada-gas-pipeline-41456525.html Leonardo DiCaprio among the stars signs a letter condemning the Canadian gas pipeline