Animal rights campaigners are planning to target the world's biggest Internet stockbroker Charles Schwab in their latest attempt to close down Huntingdon Life Sciences.
The Daily Telegraphquotes campaigners as saying Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, the group campaigning against the drug testing company, will begin pickets against Charles Schwab next week.
Charles Schwab, which now looks after 5.5 million Huntingdon shares, says it will not back down in the face of protests.
Barclays Stockbrokers, a subsidiary of Barclays Bank, has cut its ties with Huntingdon Life Sciences and blamed its decision on the actions of animal rights extremists.
A Barclays spokesman said today the bank deeply regretted its decision to sever its ties with Huntingdon.
He added "Our first responsibility is to the safety and welfare of our staff and their families. Unfortunately, we cannot currently guarantee the safety of our people because of the actions of a very small group of animal rights extremists."
Barclays' withdrawal follows similar moves from other financial institutions, including fund manager Phillips & Drew, to cut ties with Huntingdon.
PA