Our statement on our petion getting debated and a supporting motion passing at the Lewisham Council meeting 16 July.
Lewisham Council votes to divest, but the fight is not over
On 16 July, hundreds rallied at Lewisham Town Hall demanding the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) divest from companies complicit in Israeli genocide and apartheid. Our petition, signed by over 3,000 residents and pension holders was debated at the council meeting. Lewisham Council has passed a motion committing to divesting pension funds from companies operating within occupied territories and with human rights abuses.
However, a stronger motion that had been originally proposed was heavily amended, making the resolutions weaker and less specific. Reference to divesting from complicit companies as identified by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) were omitted. In the absence of these standards the council has shied away from its accountability to international law.
Despite this, we now have the opportunity to shape the exclusionary criteria that will be added to the existing pension fund which will enable divestment of companies complicit in genocide and apartheid. This is a significant moment in the campaign. We're incredibly proud of the community that has come out in support of Palestine. Your voices, presence, and commitment have made this progress possible.
We’re thankful to Councillor Liam Shrivastava for proposing the original divestment motion and for his principled work on the Pension Investment Committee (PIC), which we’re pleased to hear he has been reinstated to.
We commend Councillor Sian Eiles, PIC Chair, for her efforts to enhance exclusionary criteria for the pension fund so that investments are no longer complicit in genocide and apartheid. We’re looking forward to working closely with Cllr Sian Eiles and the PIC to bring about these measures.
Guided by justice for the Palestinian people, international law, and the Boycott Divestment Sanction (BDS) movement, Lewisham will continue the fight to see through divestment for Palestine.
Disclose.
Divest.
We will not stop.
We will not rest.