Friends brief politicians on the right to boycott
'Almost 18,000 people, including many Quakers, have signed a petition against the bill, and BYM joined over seventy other civil society organisations in opposing it.'
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) briefed parliamentarians on a bill dealing with boycotts of foreign states before its third reading in the House of Commons last week.
Joining other organisations – including Amnesty International, Liberty and Unison – Billy Vaughan, the public affairs officer for BYM, told MPs and peers on 10 January that the bill would prevent Quakers putting their faith into action.
The government’s Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill would restrict an organisation’s ability to tackle injustice, he said.
The government says the bill will ensure that public bodies follow UK foreign policy in their purchasing, procurement, and investment decision-making.
But BYM said that it will ‘force universities and local authorities to ignore ethical issues when investing in or procuring services from foreign companies complicit in human rights abuses or environmental degradation abroad’.
By specifically granting permanent immunity to Israel and its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, the legislation serves to legitimise human rights abuses, Vaughan told parliamentarians.
Clause 4 in the bill prevents public bodies from stating whether they would support boycott or divestment campaigns if it were lawful to do so. This could force Quakers who work in these organisations – or who are elected to them – to refrain from open and honest communication on matters of conscience, BYM said.
Almost 18,000 people, including many Quakers, have signed a petition against the bill, and BYM joined over seventy other civil society organisations in opposing it.
MPs passed the bill on 10 January, however; it is now being considered in its second reading by the House of Lords.
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