Abstract Condensin shapes mitotic chromosomes by folding chromatin into loops but whether it does so by DNA-loop extrusion remains speculative. While loop-extruding cohesin is stalled by transcription, no conclusive evidence has been provided regarding the impact of transcription on condensin despite its conserved enrichment at highly expressed genes. Using degrons of Rpb1 or the torpedo nuclease Dhp1XRN2, we depleted or displaced RNAP2 on chromatin in fission yeast metaphase cells.