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Green Councillors in Bristol have put forward a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the UK to end its arms trade with Israel.
The motion, which will be debated at a meeting of the Full Council next Tuesday (14th January), asks Bristol City Council (BCC) to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and for Council leaders to write to the Labour Government asking the Prime Minister to end the UK’s arms trade with Israel.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Since October 7th, 2023, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, including over 17,000 children. More than half the homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed and around 80% of the Gaza strip is under active evacuation orders. [1]
The motion notes that in January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world court, handed down an interim ruling affirming there is plausible evidence Israel going attacks on the Palestinian people in Gaza are in breach of the Genocide Convention. [2]
Cllr Jemphrey, Green Cllr for Lawrence Hill, who put forward the motion, said; “The scale and suffering of the people of Gaza is incomprehensible, and alone in the face of such atrocities it’s easy to feel helpless. This motion is to show that collectively as a Council and as a city, there are tangible actions we can take to address the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It is inspired by the activists that regularly come to city hall to make their collective voice heard.
“The Green Party is listening. There must be an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and the Prime Minister must stop the UK’s arms trade with Israel to prevent more casualties.”
The motion also calls for the Avon Pension Fund, of which Bristol City Council is a member, to divest from any companies complicit in Israel’s attacks on Palestinians, including arms companies. [3]
Cllr Fi Hance, BCC’s representative on the Avon Pension Fund Committee said, “Like so many people in Bristol and across the world, I have been horrified by the events in Gaza and am in full support of this motion.
“I am already doing all I can to investigate how the Avon Pension Fund can divest from companies that are linked to this ongoing genocide. By passing this motion, Bristol City Council has the opportunity to add pressure to make it clear that divestment is an urgent priority. ”
“Whether this motion passes or falls, I will continue to look over all options and work with campaigners, other local authorities and the APF to do whatever we can to make sure our investments are aligned with our values and in solidarity with the people of Gaza .”
ENDS
Notes for editors:
Indirectly, the Avon Pension Fund (APF) administers the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for over 450 employers in the former Avon area, including Bristol City Council. Other employers include local unitary councils, universities, academies, town and parish councils, housing associations and charities. There are over 135,000 members.
The APF is part of a wider pool called the ‘Brunel Pension Partnership’, which is one of eight UK Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) pools and includes nine other pension funds from Oxfordshire to Cornwall. Brunel collectively manages over 80% of the total assets and investments held by the LGPS pool.
Bath & North East Somerset Council are the administering authority and are legally responsible for the Fund. The council delegates its responsibility for administering the Fund to the Avon Pension Fund Committee, which is its formal decision-making body.
Bristol City Council has one seat on this committee, which is currently held by Green Cllr Fi Hance.
The APF invests funds in a passive pool product, which splits money across thousands of companies at a low cost. The product that the APF invests in was chosen on its climate credentials, and includes a few companies in the ‘aerospace and defence’ category.
As part of this, £9.7 million, some 0.2% of the total assets under management in the APF are companies that fall into the ‘aerospace and defence’ category. This includes names such as: BAE Holdings, Boeing, General Dynamics, Saab, Safran. All holdings are published online.
There are currently no products that are Paris-agreement-aligned and exclude aerospace and defence. To do this would require a new index to be set up at significant upfront cost, and other local authorities that have looked into this have faced significant legal barriers.
4. Image, from left to right: Cllr Tim Wye, Cllr Shona Jemphrey, Cllr Patrick McAllister, Cllr Mohamed Makawi, Cllr Christine Townsend.
Fi has represented Redland ward for many years. During that time, she's had a huge variety of roles within the council, but particularly enjoys sitting on planning and licensing committees, making sure that residents are listened to and that decisions are made fairly.
More about Fi