London Green Party Admits It Cannot Enforce Israel Investment Boycott Promised in Campaign

Finn Fitzgerald, a Green Party councilor and chair of the pensions committee in London's Haringey Council, acknowledged that his party cannot fulfill its pre-election pledge to withdraw investments from companies linked to Israel. Fitzgerald explained that the UK government has effectively banned local councils from imposing boycott lists, and all London authorities are subject to a unified investment mechanism that limits local control. This admission sparked outrage among former Labour council members who had faced harassment and severe name-calling from Green activists over the boycott issue.

Former Labour leader on the council, Parai Ahmet, criticized the Greens sharply, stating they had harassed Labour members for years, refused to accept their explanations, and labeled them "child killers," only now offering excuses they never accepted from Labour. Amina Ibrahim, former deputy council leader, added that the Greens had campaigned with slogans like "a vote for us is a vote for Gaza," but now adopt the very stance they previously condemned.

The boycott campaign was driven by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which exerted strong pressure on candidates in boroughs such as Hackney and Haringey. In Hackney, protesters disrupted council meetings demanding an end to "apartheid funding." Despite Green candidates winning seats on promises to implement the boycott immediately, no progress has been made since the May elections. The PSC responded by describing the campaign as a "mass democratic movement" and urged elected representatives to continue opposing what they called Israel's "atrocities."