The petition drive is urging the city council to move £111 million in pension funds from companies allegedly complicit in the Gaza war.
Solidarity campaigners for Palestine in Cardiff have launched a petition urging the City Council to divest its pension fund investments from companies they claim are helping the Israeli war effort.
The petition, launched by the Cardiff Palestine Solidarity Campaign, calls on the Council to withdraw £111 million invested in companies allegedly complicit in the Gaza war and the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Clive Haswell, Co-Chair of the campaign said, “We are reaching out to the City Council’s employees with the slogan-My money is not funding the genocide, which has resulted in 44,000 deaths, including 17,000 children”.
Haswell said, “Only 3.5% of the pension fund is invested in companies supporting the genocide of Palestinian people. Divesting this amount will not harm the prospects of City Council employees but will send a strong message to enterprises profiting from this war”.
According to the campaigners, the fund includes investments in BAE Systems, a company manufacturing components for the fighter jets used to drop 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza’s infrastructure. Additionally, funds are allegedly invested in Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi, which reportedly finance infrastructure projects for settlers appropriating Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Since its launch on December 3, the petition has gathered nearly a thousand signatures, with the drive set to continue through December. Along with leafletting sessions, the drive is spread through the social media.
“In January, we will present these signatures to the councilors and ask them, ‘This is what the people think. Are you still happy to fund the genocide?,” said Haswell.
The Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan council pension fund is managed by the Welsh Pension Partnership (WPP), which oversees investments for eight local councils across Wales. Similar demands for divestment have also emerged in Newport and other council areas.
“Councils across the UK, such as Waltham Forest and Islington, have already divested from such companies,” Haswell said. “The Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Waltham Forest gathered over 3,000 signatures, compelling the council to act. We aim to achieve something similar”.
The campaign has gained support from other organizations. Trade union Unison, representing City Council employees, is actively backing the petition. Other Palestinian solidarity organizations such as Cardiff Stop the War Coalition and Welsh Women for Gaza are also sharing the link of the petition on their social media handles as well.
Highlighting the Council’s past decision to divest from fossil fuels in 2019, Haswell said, “The divestment call is not only about ethical practices. If international bodies like the United Nations impose sanctions on these companies tomorrow, the employees’ hard-earned money could be jeopardized”.