Agencies-Gaza post
Pro-Palestine organizations reject UK legislations targeting BDS
Pro-Palestine organizations spoke against UK legislation that targets anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigns.
In a press statement posted on the European Legal Support Center’s (ELSC) website, some European organizations stated their opposition to the ‘anti-boycott’ bill, stating that they “advocate for the right of public bodies to decide not to purchase or procure from, or invest in companies involved in human rights abuse, abuse of workers’ rights, destruction of our planet, or any other harmful or illegal acts,” and thus oppose the proposed law.
The law is scheduled to be introduced in the Queen’s Speech, a yearly address by the British monarch that lays out the government’s plan for the next session of Parliament, which will take place on May 10.
The signatories expressed worry that the new legislation “would bar public entities from deciding not to invest in or procure from firms who are implicated in violations of Palestinian people’s rights.”
“We underline that public bodies have the right, and indeed the responsibility, to terminate connections with enterprises that contribute to human rights abuses and violations of international law in occupied Palestine and anyplace else,” they added.
“If passed, this law will put an end to a wide range of campaigns related to the arms trade, climate justice, human rights, international law, and worldwide solidarity with oppressed peoples seeking justice.” The proposed legislation jeopardizes freedom of expression as well as public bodies’ and democratic institutions’ ability to spend, invest, and trade ethically in accordance with international law and human rights.”
They demanded that the UK government put a stop to the bill, that opposition parties oppose it, and that civil society mobilize in favour of the right to boycott in the name of justice.
