Vandals smashed windows and damaged a car yesterday at the home of a former British bank chief who sparked public anger when he refused to give up his huge pension after the UK government rescued his bank.
A previously unknown group calling itself “Bank Bosses Are Criminals” said it had carried out the attack.
Sir Fred Goodwin (50), former chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), left the bank with an annual pension of about £700,000 (€750,000) last October after the government bailed it out.
After the attack, in the early hours of yesterday morning, a protest group e-mailed local newspapers claiming responsibility.
“We are angry that rich people, like him, are paying themselves a huge amount of money, and living in luxury, while ordinary people are made unemployed, destitute and homeless,” the message said.
“This is a crime. Bank bosses should be jailed. This is just the beginning.”
Sir Fred’s refusal to repay the pension, despite leading the bank into Britain’s biggest corporate failure on record, triggered a public and political backlash.
British prime minister Gordon Brown said the payment was “unacceptable” and the government says it is considering legal action to claw back the money.
Police said no one had been arrested following yesterday’s attack. A spokesman would not say if Sir Fred and his family were at home at the time.
Anti-capitalist protesters plan to demonstrate in London next week to coincide with the G20 summit of world leaders. – (Reuters)