We demand Hackney Council stop investing in genocide

On 9th July 2024, our Hackney Divest Encampment and Hackney Palestine Solidarity Campaign presented a deputation to Hackney Council’s Pensions Committee demanding they stop investing in companies complicit in Israel's crimes against Palestinians. This is an edited video from that meeting.

Despite having the support of many residents and being sponsored by Green councillors Zoë Garbett and Alastair Binney-Lubbock, the Council delayed and postponed our deputation for more than a year.

Additionally, it decided to include a deputation from the Zionist group Hackney Friends of Israel supported by Labour Councillor Michael Desmond. This is an unprecedented move in the history of the Council, which perpetuates the false narrative of two equal sides in the conflict.

We soon realised that the Council meeting was nothing but a sham. Instead of genuinely engaging with our argument, Committee Chair Councillor Kam Adams presented a pre-written speech with a pre-set decision on the outcome. By doing so, Hackney Council is showing utter disrespect to its residents who have been emailing and protesting for months asking for divestment.

The Council is also silencing its own employees. A recent Hackney Unison survey of hundreds of workers shows that 90% of them do not want their pensions to be invested in weapons manufacturers. Big majorities also support other ethical divestment.

When the crass rejection of our deputation was met with a vocal reaction from residents who were observing the meeting, the room was cleared. On restarting the meeting, Labour Councillor Kam Adams, Chair of the Pension Committee, said "now that we have some peace and quiet, we can move on". There will be neither peace nor quiet until the Council acts on our demands.

Hackney Council claims to support ethical divestment, but on 9th July, they showed that does not apply when it comes to Palestinian lives.

We are ashamed and angry, but rest assured, the struggle has only started. We will not stop until Hackney Council ends its complicity in Israel's crimes ✊🇵🇸