Call on your MP to stop the Anti-Boycott Bill!

Houses of Parliament. Image: ICN/JS

Source: EAPPI

The Ecumenical Accompaniers in England and Ireland write: On 10th January, the House of Commons will vote on The Economic Activity of Public Bodies Bill. If passed, it will force public bodies to ignore ethical issues when considering investment in, or procuring services from foreign companies complicit in human rights abuses abroad.

The Bill states that Ministers could make exemptions for specific countries, but these exemptions could never include Israel, which is singled out for special protection against boycott campaigns - the only state afforded protection in this way. Moreover, this special protection extends to occupied Palestine and the occupied Golan Heights.

By offering the same protections to Israeli businesses, whether they are based in Israel or in Israeli settlements, the Bill is a departure from longstanding UK foreign policy and that of the UN Security Council, which could set a worrying new precedent.

You can read more about the bill here and here.

In addition to threatening British democracy, many have warned that the bill could inflame already rising community divisions in the UK, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Write now to urge your MP to oppose the bill on 10 January.
Find your MP and a template letter here: www.eyewitnessblogs.com/stop-the-anti-boycott-bill/