Sheffield Green Party Councillor Alexi Dimond addresses demonstration on Saturday 7th December to speak about local complicity with the genocide in Palestine.
“Hello everyone, it is so important that you are here today to stand in solidarity with the people Palestine, as they are being slaughtered, starved, raped and tortured with the full backing of our government.
“Today I’m going to talk about local complicity with the genocide.
“Following the Full Council motion of November 2023 which called for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the government to stop arming Israel, and following the raising of the Palestinian flag last Friday, you could be forgiven for thinking that Sheffield Council had made its opposition to Israeli crimes clear. You would be gravely mistaken.
“Since the motion passed, Sheffield Council and Sheffield institutions have doubled down on their complicity with genocide.
“At the Full Council meeting on Wednesday, the leader of the Council refused to repeat the call to the government to stop participating in the genocide, no doubt because we now have a Labour government. He also refused to say whether he endorsed the flying of the Palestinian flag. He has repeatedly refused to challenge Barclays, whom the council banks with, over its financing of genocide and apartheid. He refuses to recognise the genocide, or even admit that war crimes are being committed.
“When I asked the Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee on Wednesday why the arms company BAE had chosen Sheffield as the site of a new factory to manufacture lightweight howitzers and whether he supported this, he said it was because Sheffield has expertise in this area, and that we should all welcome the new BAE factory. He received a warm round of applause in the council chamber.
“Meanwhile, the South Yorkshire Mayor continues to cultivate lucrative relationships with arms companies such as BAE, Boeing, Rolls Royce and others.
“Thanks to the work of the Sheffield Campus Coalition for Palestine it was revealed that Sheffield University accepted £100 million from arms companies.
“South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, the Local Government Pension Scheme of which many people here are members, holds substantial investments in arms companies, and collectively UK Local Government Pension Schemes reportedly hold over £4.4 billion of assets in companies complicit in Israel’s oppression.
“Furthermore, Sheffield Green Party also recently uncovered that South Yorkshire Pensions Authority holds nearly £5 million of assets in Israel itself, including in gov’t bonds. The Authority also heavily invests in Fossil fuel companies, including BP which holds contracts to develop Gaza’s gas fields.
“If you are a member of the Pensions Authority you must speak up. Anyone can attend the meeting or demonstration at the Pensions Authority this Thursday 12th Dec from 9.30.
“Anyone can write to their MP, their Councillor, the Mayor of Sheffield. Show them the evidence of the genocide, dont allow them to deny it, and demand they stop supporting it. Let them know that you care and that this genocide is not in your name.
“Let them know that it is their responsibility to do everything in their power to end this. Now.”
