"A borough that cares for peace" - Lewisham Palestine Solidarity Campaign calls for council to divest
Several hundred protesters marched up Lewisham High Street on Saturday to a rally outside Lewisham Town Hall, Catford. They delivered a petition with more than 3,000 signatures, calling for the council to "Divest for Palestine".
John McGrath from Lewisham and Greenwich CND started the rally.
"We're a borough that cares about people and cares for peace, so we're asking for for both of those things. We're asking the council to sell off their shares in genocide," he said.
Councillor Liam Shrivastava sits for New Cross Gate and is a member of the Pensions Investment committee.
"A moral and legal argument"
He told the rally that in September 2024, he and Councillor Anwar had supported a motion calling on the council to identify its investments in companies involved in the arms trade, human rights abuses and operating within Israeli-occupied territories, "with a view to moving away from such investments".
He added that, in addition to the moral case for divesting away from genocide, there is a legal argument for the council to ensure that none of its investments are "complicit in any action that facilitates genocide".
Cllr Shrivastava pointed out, "this means that the UK, including local government like Lewisham, must take action to prevent genocide".
The motion was passed unanimously by the committee and the council and committee have begun to "explore divestment".
However, Shrivastava said that following the meeting, he received a formal warning letter from Lewisham Labour group, accusing him of bringing the Labour party into disrepute.
Residents contributing via their council tax
Tony, a Lewisham council worker, spoke of it being "intolerable as a worker, and intolerable for me as a Muslim" to find that the pension scheme is invested in organisations that are funding Israel's assault on Gaza.
He added that Lewisham residents - anyone who pays council tax - are also contributing to the council's pension fund.
"Demand for the end to apartheid"
Yarden is an Israeli anti-Zionist and campaigner with Lewisham's Strawberry Fields Collective. "Divestment isn't a symbolic gesture," she said. "It's a demand for an end to the apartheid system, a refusal to let the normalisation of violence and oppression continue."
She drew the link with the campaign to end apartheid in South Africa. "International solidarity can bring an end to apartheid in Palestine, it starts with actions like the one we're taking today."
Lewisham PSC asked residents to write to their councillors to show support for divestment for Palestine. The organisation is supported by Lewisham Stop the War, Lewisham and Greenwich CND and Lewisham Muslim Voice.
Pensions Investment Committee statement
A Lewisham Council spokesperson said:
"The Council's Pension Investment Committee (PIC) continues to monitor the situation in Palestine, and other conflict zones across the world, closely and with concern.
"The PIC has carried out extensive work to assess its investments, focusing on potential exposure to arms and controversial weapons, companies associated with potential human rights abuses, and companies that operate in areas considered to be occupied under international law.
"This has also led to a revision of the Responsible Investor Strategy and inclusion of wider Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors, including conflict zones, within its new Engagement Strategy.
"The PIC has met with its passive equity fund managers and will continue to lobby to ensure that where engagement can make an impact it does so."
It adds that "the nature of passive equity funds" means that individual Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Funds cannot remove individual companies, and they have to use engagement to apply pressure instead.
One million children deprived of aid
Gaza has been under electricity blackout since 11 October 2023. Israel has again cut off humanitarian aid supplies including fuel, water and food and placed Gaza under siege. UN reported on 5th April that more than one million children have been deprived of aid for over a month.
Legal obligations extend to the UK
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling of June 2024 ordered Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories. It found multiple breaches of international law by Israel and activities amounting to apartheid.
International lawyer Itay Epshtain, advisor to the Norwegian Refugee Council, confirms that the ruling generated "legal certainty". It places obligations on Israel and on other countries, including the UK government.
Updated on 18th April 10.30 with statement from Lewisham Council.
