BARCLAYS Bank, Booking.com, Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London and Greater Manchester Council’s pension fund trustees were among targets for protests by Palestine supporters on Saturday.
In London, the Camden branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) marched from King’s Cross station to Sadler’s Wells Theatre calling on the theatre to stop banking with Barclays because of the bank’s financial links with companies supplying Israel.
Camden PSC said Barclays “is bankrolling Israel’s genocide in Gaza through its substantial financial ties to arms companies supplying Israel.”
Hundreds marched in Manchester at a weekly protest organised by Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine (GMFP) which brings together a dozen Palestine campaign groups in the region.
At a rally following the march, speaker Anne Webster called on pension fund trustees who handle the investments of Greater Manchester Council employees to divest from arms firms involved with Israel.
Bashrat Din of GMFP said: “Let’s continue to spread awareness and keep the momentum going.
“The world needs to witness this growing movement and understand that our commitment to justice for Palestine is unyielding.”
GMFP will also demonstrate tomorrow outside Turkey’s consulate in Manchester, assembling in St Peter’s Square at 6pm.
“Fifty per cent of the oil Israel imports passes through Turkey,” the group said. “This oil is used to fuel fighter jets and military vehicles central to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
On Tuesday, Palestine supporters plan to jam the telephone lines of Booking.com in protest against the organisation’s continuing promotion of Israel as a destination.
The jamming will run from 8am to 8pm on Tuesday.
A Booking.com spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of life as a result of the war in Gaza and remain hopeful for a lasting, peaceful resolution.
We are aware of the concerns that have been raised about some of the listings on our platform in the West Bank, which we take very seriously.
We are monitoring the situation closely and continue to work with a variety of stakeholders and experts in this space to inform our ongoing approach.”
