Not too late for divestment debate say Lambeth Greens

Green Party Councillors urged action on a petition to divest Lambeth pensions from weapons manufacturing, Israeli atrocities and illegal settlements, ahead of Saturday’s march to end the genocide in Gaza.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

This afternoon, Streatham St Leonard’s Councillor Scott Ainslie, a member of Lambeth’s Pensions Committee told the Buzz that Unision, the trade union that represents council workers “had been campaigning for their pensions to be divested from Israeli apartheid and genocide”. The campaign was also highlighted earlier in the week by newly elected Green Party Cllr Paul Valentine (Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction) earlier in the week.

However any attempts at holding Israel to account in any way whatsoever are ruthlessly suppressed by Labour at both national and local levels. In a January 2024 motion at full council, the Green party called for ‘an immediate ceasefire and the end to human rights atrocities in the Israel/Palestine conflict.’

Twenty of Labour’s 58 councillors were absent from the meeting, and although the motion was defeated, numerous Labour councillors including Sonia Winifred (Knight’s Hill), Deepak Sardiwal (Herne Hill) and Sarina da Silva (Waterloo) were suspended for not following the party whip.

In the past week, as continued reports emerge of Israeli soldiers shooting starving civilians, Labour’s internal tensions have deepened. Suspended Labour Cllr Martin Abrams was blocked from re-standing as a candidate in the 2026 local elections for defying the whip on the same ceasefire vote.

Speculation is rife as to whether the highly popular Abrams, who recently told a West Norwood 4 Palestine meeting about the importance of being an anti-Zionist Jew, will follow his former Labour colleague Winifred and join the Green Party.

The Buzz also spoke to one of the petition organisers Ben Wiedel-Kaufman from Lambeth4Divestment, who emphasised Labour’s untenable pension position:

“Nationally, there are £6bn of deferred wages from workers with no wish to invest in companies complicit in Israel’s war crimes. Labour are repeatedly and consistently refusing democratic representation on pension committees. There’s no accountability, the workers are being silenced, and in effect so are the electorate”.

To force inclusion of divestment from Israel in a council debate scheduled for July, the petition needs to reach 3000 signatures.

SIGN THE PETITION

Some links to groups working on the divestment campaign:

Lambeth4Divestment

WestNorwood4Palestine

Lambeth & Wandsworth Palestine Solidarity Campaign

If you’re going to Saturday’s march, it’s going to be very hot, so take a hat and some water!