Growing calls for Sutton Council to divest from arms companies

A South London council has been urged to divest its investments in arms and weapons companies as a petition calling for more respect for human rights has gained support.

Campaign group Sutton Friends of Palestine (SFOP) has called on the council to review all investment funds it manages, including the Local Government Pensions Scheme, to assess any links to companies that supply the Israeli military or operate in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).

According to the International Court of Justice, such companies may be complicit in human rights violations or contraventions of international law. A growing number of local authorities have been under pressure to move investments from companies connected to or directly involved in the production of weapons, in particular since the start of the war between Israel and Gaza.

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Since its launch two weeks ago, the e-petition has attracted 302 signatories. The campaign group behind it hopes it will reach the 1,500 signatures required for the topic to be debated at full council.

Sutton Friends of Palestine member Tommy Oliver told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) how he hopes the petition would encourage the council to adopt a more ethical approach to it's investments. He said: "Our petition is a grassroots push to give Sutton Council the opportunity to prevent its investments from funding serious human rights violations in Gaza and the other occupied Palestinian territories.

"Sutton has a Lib Dem-controlled council, and their party has taken a better position than the Conservatives and Labour, so we hope they listen to the local people calling for divestment from occupation, apartheid, and genocide."

SFOP want the council to adopt an ethical investment policy that upholds social responsibility and human rights. They believe this would ensure that future investments are free from complicity in human rights abuses and promote ethical standards in line with the council’s values.

There is also a demand for divestment from companies involved in constructing illegal Israeli settlements, surveillance technology, and businesses operating within these settlements. There is a further demand for Sutton to stop investing in companies supplying weapons or military technology to Israel, particularly those used in attacks on Gaza.

Finally, the council is asked to take action if it invests in pooled funds involving any of these companies. Residents have until January 12, 2025, to sign the petition.

SFOP has been campaigning actively in the borough since the October 7 incident. Most notably, the group protested outside the office of former Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Scully in response to his stance on the conflict.

The group also grabbed headlines in April when around 80 students protested outside the gates of Greenshaw High School in Sutton to demand that Scully call for an end to arms sales to Israel whilst he was visiting the school.

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