Alice Hooker-Stroud said;
“The UK government has no right to ban public institutions and publicly funded bodies from making ethical choices. Why do they want our money going to corporations and companies that harm people, and harm the environment? Wales needs to take a strong stance against this proposed ban on our civil liberties.”
Scotland is exempt from the plan, Scottish Green Party candidate Ross Greer added: “The campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions is our most effective tool in helping the Palestinian people in their struggle against the oppressive state of Israel. No Westminster government can stop BDS.”
The two Welsh councils, Swansea and Gwynedd started a boycott of any companies with interests in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip areas of Israel in 2010. The proposals will restrict the ability of public bodies to make “ethical choices”, particularly in moving away from dirty fossil fuels. The Wales Green Party believes that publicly funded bodies should invest for the public good, and that means divesting from fossil fuels and investing in sustainable industries.
The Wales Green Party is calling on the Welsh government to refuse to implement the ban, Alice Hooker-Stroud said: “The ban will effectively gag councils, universities, and other public institutions from campaigning for ethical investment policies and has no place in Welsh democracy.”
The ban will be formally announced by Cabinet minister Matt Hancock on a visit to Israel this week.