Activists hit arms and oil insurers – including with vomit stink

Activists took aim at three of the world’s worst insurers in fossil fuels and arms early on 20 January in Rotterdam, Zurich, Vienna and Norwich.

In Rotterdam, they covered the Chubb office with butyric acid, a chemical that smells very strongly of vomit. It is not clear whether the office had to shut down. Extinction Rebellion previously used butyric acid in an action against H&M, also in the South Holland region.

In other cities they threw paint and left graffiti at the offices of controversial insurers Zurich, Chubb and the HSBC branch in Norwich. Tags left included: “Chubb Drop Elbit!” (Vienna), “Drop Elbit” (outside HSBC) and “Drop Shell & Chevron” outside the Zurich office.

Insurers supporting fossil fuel and arms companies

The activists condemn all financial support to the genocide in Gaza and to climate breakdown. Activists hit the offices of Chubb, which insures Israel’s main arms provider, Elbit Systems. Chubb took on Elbit after its last insurers discontinued coverage in December 2025 due to activist pressure.

Shut the System had previously targeted Chubb over its support for the oil industry. This had included backing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. Chubb has since ruled out support for the project.

They also focused on Zurich, a Swiss insurer and WEF partner that underwrites Shell, Chevron and arms shipment company Maersk.

A spokesperson from Shut The System who threw paint over Zurich’s office in Zurich said:

Insurers are fundamental to companies driving the genocide in Gaza, massacres of families and the erasure of nature that we depend on for all life on earth. We condemn Chubb for insuring Elbit Systems after its last insurers ditched the Israeli arms company; and we condemn Zurich for insuring Chevron in Venezuela – shamelessly exploiting US anti-democratic incursions.

A spokesperson from Shut Elbit Down in Austria said:

Elbit Systems is one of the main profiteers of the genocide in Gaza and war and genocide around the world, so insuring the company makes insurers complicit which is why we are targeting Chubb’s Vienna office.

Drop Elbit! Don’t insure Genocide!

Featured image via Shut the System