PRO-PALESTINIAN campaigners held a Red Line demonstration today outside the meeting of the Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) calling for disinvestment of workers’ money.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cymru organised the protest to put pressure on the body which looks after the pension funds of councils in Wales.

PSC Cymru’s Andrew Draper was fresh from the success of persuading his council, Rhondda Cynon Taf, to become the 11th council in Wales to agree to disinvestment from Israel and weapons companies.

“Welsh councils hold £1.1 billion in investments and half of them, including my own council, have agreed to disinvest,” Mr Draper said.

PSC Cymru chairwoman Bethan Sayed said: “Our lobbying work to persuade councils to disinvest is hard work but vitally important to put pressure on the WPP.

“As the WPP meets this morning, much of our public-sector pension money is invested in companies involved in genocide.

“We want to sit down with the Welsh government and WPP to ensure that workers’ pension fund money is invested ethically.”

Stand Up to Racism Cardiff’s Kwabena Devonish said Wales was proud to be a nation of sanctuary.

“But to make it a reality and not just words, we must stop public money being used for genocide, and we must push the WPP for full disinvestment,” Ms Devonish said.

Plaid Cymru’s Senedd member for the South Wales West region, Sioned Williams, said her party had voted in 2024 for all councils in Wales to divest from companies considered complicit in Israel’s war crimes and breaches of international law.

She said: “Public pension funds are not abstract financial instruments. They are public institutions managing the retirement savings of workers.

“Our investment decisions should reflect both our legal obligations and our ethical responsibilities.”

Independent Senedd candidate Beth Winter said: “What we have seen in Gaza and Palestine is an indictment of humanity as hundreds of thousands have been murdered, with 70 per cent women and children.”

Ms Winter said the vast majority of people in Wales want their pension funds to divest their money into ethical investments.

“No ifs or buts, we must divest,” Ms Winter said.

Stop the War Cymru’s Dominic MacAskill said the move to divest must mean that money from public-sector pension schemes should not be used to prop up any military spending.