[Boycott - Other News]

Swansea City Council Ban Future Contracts with Veolia

Swansea Action for Palestine (with some additional reportings)
12 July 2010

An historic decision was taken by Swansea City Council to bar future contracts with Veolia on the grounds of its illegal activities in the West Bank.

Swansea City Council approved the following resolution unamended on Thursday June 17th 2010:

Veolia currently has contracts with the authority for local bus, park & ride to the tune of £699k per annum and home school to the tune of £238k per annum.

The passing of the resolution was very important in its own right, but we have since discovered that this is the first resolution of its kind to have been passed by any UK authority, in that it makes explicit its reasons for ruling out any future contracts with Veolia. Other authorities have discontinued contracts with Veolia, but have not specified this reason. Swansea City Council is therefore leading the way with what is now seen as a landmark decision.

The resolution was put to the Council as the result of a campaign, in the course of which, all 72 councillors were mailed with details of Veolia's illegal activities. We were gratified with the level of cross part support for some kind of action to be taken and have since been in regular contact with councillors from nearly all parties who are actively pursuing the issue.

Palestine activist Richard Jones, who played a key role in the campaign, said: "The decision taken by Swansea City Council, after a short campaign to alert them about Veolia, shows that we are not powerless in the face of multi-nationals that back Israel. It's a step in the right direction, but what is important it shows us that everyone of can play a small part in the struggle for a Free Palestine."

Swansea now leads a growing number of cities ready to take a moral stand against international lawbreakers. The list already includes Dublin, Stockholm and Melbourne and within the UK moves are already being made which would mean that other authorities follow Swansea's example.

Commenting on the success of the campaign, Derail Veolia Co-ordinator Angus Geddus said: "This is a highly significant breakthrough. It is the first time that a council in UK has passed such a resolution. To my knowledge the only local authorities in Europe to pass similar resolutions are Irish: Dublin recently, and I think Sligo and Galway earlier. Veolia has lost contracts such as those awarded by Sandwell (UK) and Stockholm where it was widely acknowledged that the company's support for Israel's illegal settlements was primarily responsible, but no local authority has yet admitted this. I hope that people who have been lobbying their councils to exclude Veolia will tell them about Swansea's decision, pointing out that there is now a precedent for them to do the same."

Swansea Council Meeting Agenda
(17 June 2010)

src: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/media/pdf/p/d/Public_Agenda_Pack_-_Council_17_June_10.pdf

Source: http://swanseaactionforpalestine.blogspot.com/2010/07/swansea-city-council-ban-future.html

Related Articles

Palestine Pete joins Bin Veolia Protest at the Natural History Museum Photo-report of the fortnightly picket outside the Natural History Museum to protest against Veolia's sponsorship of the Museums Wildlife Photographery Exhibition. Veolia is complicit in Israel's occupation of Palestinian land.

Veolia Greenwashing At Natural History Museum Photo report of protest against Veolia sponsorship of exhibition at Natural History Museum, also look at the route of Jerusalem Light Rail and Veolia's complicity in the Israeli occupation.

Russell Tribunal on Palestine: Corporate Complicity in Violations of International Law - What can lawyers in the UK do? Following on from the Russell Tribunal London session, a seminar by Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights ask what can lawyers in the UK do to ensure corporations complicit in violations of international law be held to account. [full video]

Bin Veolia Protest at the Natural History Museum Photo report of protest againt Veolia's sponsorship of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 exhibition at the Natural History Museum. Veolia is complicit in Israels occupation of the West Bank.

Veolia AGM - BDS Action For Palestine On 17th May 2011, activists from the UK travelled to Paris to support French BDS action outside the Veolia AGM. Veolia has long been complicit in Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land. Video report.

Jordan Valley - Apartheid and Exploitation [Presentation in House of Commons] Brighton Jordan Valley Solidarity gave evidence of exploitation and ethnic cleansing by Israel in the Jordan Valley to the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group of MPs at the House of Commons. Report includes full video.

Dump Veolia Protest at the Natural History Museum, London The Dump Veolia Campaign lead a demonstration outside the Natural History Museum to protest against Veolia's sponsorship of an exhibition at the museum. Veolia is complicit in Israel's war crimes with its support of the settlements.

Church of England reviews stake in Israeli rail The Church of England is reviewing its investment in Veolia, a company building Jerusalem's light railway amid concern that the tramline "will help to cement Israel's hold on occupied east Jerusalem".

Georgetown University - Student urge divestment from Israel Student group Georgetown, Divest! presented their case for University divestment from companies that profit from human rights violations in Israel and Palestine.

Also Of Interest

No To Normalisation With Apartheid Israel - London Projection On 18 Sep 2020, Inminds, IHRC and Bahraini activists held a guerilla projection on Marble Arch to condemn all normalisation with apartheid Israel, in particular the agreement signed by UAE, Bahrain and Israel.

Join the annual International Al Quds Day 2020 #FlyTheFlag #AlQudsDay2020 Join this years Al Quds Day, which due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be held online on 22nd May 2020.

De Beers Dropped From Environmental Award Following Protest, Is Hypocritically Reinstated One Week Later De Beers was spectacularly dropped from Positive Luxury's 'Positive Environmental Impact' award shortlist, and its Forevermark diamond brand stripped from the Butterfly Mark list after Inminds protested De Beers human rights violations. But a week later Positive Luxury hypocritically reinstated De Beers and Forevermark.

Protest Demands Positive Luxury Drop De Beers From Environmental Award On 21 Feb 2020, Inminds held a vigil outside the offices of Positive Luxury to demand they reconsider their outrageous decision to shortlist serial human rights abuser De Beer Forevermark diamonds, for an award for “Positive Environmental Impact.�