An Island pro-Palestine activist has voiced concern over Isle of Wight Council pension fund investments potentially being ‘complicit’ in Israeli war crimes.
Marilyn Barrett from the newly formed Isle of Wight branch of the nationwide Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) questioned pension fund committee chair Councillor Chris Jarman at last Wednesday evening’s Full Council meeting.
The probe follows Isle of Wight PSC’s first public meeting at Newport’s Unitarian Hall earlier this summer, attended by Green Party county councillor Joe Lever and Unison trade unionist Mark Chiverton.
In February, PSC published what it described as ‘investments of 81 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds in companies complicit in Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights’ on its website, following Freedom of Information requests.
The organisation said it had identified ‘£31,856,457’ of ‘complicit’ Isle of Wight Pension Fund investments.
Ms Barrett said:
“What percentage of the total investing monies not required for payment benefits, transfers and administrative costs is the £31,856,457, as was highlighted on the PSC database, that was invested in potentially complicit Israeli war crimes?”
Article continues below this advertisement
Cllr Jarman thanked Ms Barrett for her question and responded:
“Firstly, we do not accept the figure which has been quoted – it has been examined a number of times – and the matter is coming up at the next meeting of the pension committee.
“Following that, we’ll be able to give a written answer when we have an up-to-date breakdown of the information.”
The pension fund committee will next meet at County Hall on 29th July at 14:00.
Are this mob affiliated with palestine action and if so are the police keeping an eye open.
It should be remembered that the palestinians, aka hamas, invaded Israel and massacred civilians, they raped innocent women and killed children and babies whilst filming themselves, Israel reacted to defend itself and prevent a repeat of one of the worst war crimes since the Holocaust.
Total rubbish, we all know that the Israelis lie about everything all the time… as for Hamas,are you saying that the French resistance were also terrorists ? ,fighting for their freedom and fighting the occupation forces? May I suggest that you read the ” balfor treaty “, it may well give you a clue.
Whilst the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians were totally abhorrent, and in no way justified, even taking the history of the conflict into account,…
Israel’s retaliation and retribution has been totally disproportionate, and little short of genocide..
And they seem to be intent on launching un-provoked attacks on other countries as well now (Iran, Syria….) with the help of Trump the ‘peacemaker’…
Yes I agree, but also they have been killing people and stealing their land since 1948. My father was there in the R A F and was amongst the last ten people to leave. He had to watch as they lobbed grenades into the Palestinian homes as he left…it would seem that the USA cannot keep it’s dog under control anymore.
You couldn’t be more wrong if you tried, before shouting read up on it first.
Since 2020 we are now living in strange times,
the old normal is sadly no longer.
Things are changing, not for the better.
Yawn!
im more concerned about the state of my own country,let alone others,if you are that bothered about it,you could always go to palestine and protest!
Disgusting behaviour by our council, I hope they attend to this soon as possible…given what the Israelis have been doing since 1948 I can’t understand why their diplomats haven’t been expelled from the embassy. For God’s sake it’s genocide happening right now in front of us all and no-one seems to be doing anything about it !.
While Jarman may not accept that figure, many of us don’t want to have to accept any figure. Less than £31m does not mitigate the disgust of profiting from war and the sale of arms. They might like to have a closer look at just how much ends up in Russian hands while they’re at it.
Better still, put principles above profit and move away from disaster capitalism.
PS…Bumberclot is bang on. Politically and historically correct.
I cannot understand how the world are letting Trump, and all of the other vile tyrants run amok without retribution. Since when, and how and why have we not learned from Hitler amongst many others, are we letting these disgusting men get away with ethnic cleansing and murder!!??
They all need to be made to pay and be held accountable for war crimes and atrocities committed against innocent civilians because this has gone way beyond retaliation for the original diabolical atrocities that started it all off.
Trump simply cannot be allowed to make up his own rules to avoid any repercussions for his ridiculous actions and decisions as well. What is the point of NATO!!?
Nato is terrified of Trump withdrawing the US, as he’s threatened before. Effectively then, he’s holding them over a barrel with his ‘Israel are wonderful’ trope….because there’s money and power in doing so. Trump has no more sympathy with Palestinian genocide that he did with Syrian. It will take a brave world to say take your money, your trade links and your power and shove it. Principles apparently come second to wealth.
I’m afraid Trump can do whatever he wants as can Starmer, as can the leaders of Israel, Russia, China and North Korea, there is one thing people forget. It doesn’t matter who fires the first nuke off, the response will happen and then we are all dead anyway.
No they won’t. That’s way too much of an unknown for any of them. Without the ordinary people they’d have no power and no source of money, neither could they guarantee there’d be enough intelligent, skilled people (engineers, medics etc) to repair their world that’s left. The time it would take for a new generation of kids to be taught the skills, presuming they could be shielded from the relative unknowns of fallout means they themselves would naturally be dead by then anyway. They’ve been gaming Domesday scenarios for donkey’s years, hence why no-one pressed the button. Too many unknowns.
Domesday?? DOOMSDAY!