Amid cheers and chanting from 40 Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine (NRFOP) activists on August 28, Byron Shire Council adopted an Ethical Procurement Policy. It mandates council to boycott all companies operating in illegal Israeli settlements.
NRFOP won the council over through an extensive lobbying and petition campaign under the slogans “Not in our name — not with our money” and “No rates for war crimes”.
NRFOP’s Subhi Awad said: “Our community, and communities across this country, do not want our money going to bombing hospitals and killing kids. It’s another clear signal to the government that we want sanctions on Israel and another huge win for the boycott movement.”
The adopted motion was a compromise. Greens councillors Elia Hauge and Michelle Lowe fully supported and moved NRFOP’s motion mandating council to boycott all companies listed in United Nations’ Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s recent report, From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide. Hauge said “people here don’t want their rates funding companies that demolish homes, displace families, or profit from killing civilians”.
However, Labor Councillor Asren Pugh foreshadowed Hauge and Lowe’s motion with one that was similar but replaced Albanese’s list with a shorter 2020 UN list of companies. Pugh’s motion was carried.
NRFOP welcomed the council taking the step and pledged to continue campaigning for all councils in the region to fully divest from all companies complicit in Israel’s war crimes.