Dive In: Festival disrupted by protests

The Dive In Festival was hit with another protest during the closing event.

Members of the Education Climate Coalition, Insure Our Survival and Insure Tomorrow targeted an Axa and Howden-sponsored event on the afternoon of 18 September 2025, with protesters holding up a banner reading ‘Insure Our Survival Not Fossil Fuels’.

The room was cleared of its audience and the protesters were then escorted by security out of the building.

A spokesperson for the actions said: “This is the ultimate hypocrisy. Insurance companies want to recruit diverse young talent while underwriting the very projects that will make their future unliveable.”

Other protests

This came despite heightened security following a protest during the opening event on 16 September.

In the opening event, protesters took to the stage during Lloyd’s chief executive Patrick Tiernan’s keynote address and stood with a banner stating “Complicit in Genocide” and chanted ”Lloyd’s, Lloyd’s, you can’t hide, you’re insuring genocide”.

The livestream of the event was suspended and the protesters were removed by security. 

Addressing a question regarding an article that alleged Lloyd’s had announced a u-turn on some of its climate policies and the comment that Lloyd’s should be apolitical during a Q&A session on 4 September 2025, Tiernan said: ”There is no change in policy. I don’t recognise any of the comments and I don’t recognise the article. 

”But on Lloyd’s being apolitical, we think that’s actually a huge strength. We can accommodate different choices, different voices [and] dissenting views. We are running a marketplace, not an insurance company.”