Anti-coal activists sang adapted Christmas carols outside the head office of the National Australia Bank (NAB) on December 15 as part of the campaign to demand it end funding to all fossil fuel projects.
The carol singing, organised by Move Beyond Coal, focused on protesting the bank’s funding of Whitehaven Coal’s expansion in northern New South Wales.
It was part of a week of action targeting NAB across the country. Speakers from Islamic, Christian and Jewish faiths all spoke in favour of greater action to combat climate change.
To the tune of "We wish you a Merry Christmas", one carol went: “We wish you a healthy planet; We wish you a healthy planet; We wish you a healthy planet; With solar, not coal”.
The chorus line was: “No money from NAB to mine dirty coal, Don’t finance Whitehaven — Save the planet from coal”.
"Joy to the World", was sung to the words: “NAB Bank get out! Get out of coal! And shut Whitehaven’s mines. Less fires, floods and heat, extinction at our feet; Let’s shut Whitehaven mines, let's shut Whitehaven mines; NAB Bank get out and shut Whitehaven's mines!”
The event was organised a day before NAB’s annual general meeting in Melbourne. There, a resolution by the climate shareholders’ group Market Forces called for funding to Whitehaven to end.