Scores of Welsh peace activists will gather outside Barclays Bank in Cardiff City Centre at 12 noon on Saturday for a mass ‘die-in’ protest, after accusing the Bank of having vast financial shares in arms companies supplying the Israeli military.
Campaigners will not only be calling on Barclays to break its links with arms companies but also for its customers to switch banks in protest.
The protest comes amid growing international pressure for an immediate ceasefire as the Palestinian death toll in Israel’s war on Gaza is reported to have exceeded 20,000 dead, including over 8,000 children.
Adam Johannes, Cardiff Stop the War Coalition, said,
“Cardiff over the last three months has seen huge weekly protest marches calling for an immediate ceasefire and freedom for Palestine as the path to peace.”
“We are now escalating our campaign with mass actions calling for Israel to be isolated as we isolated apartheid in South Africa with Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions until Palestinians can live freely in their own land, free from military occupation, siege, unequal citizenship, refugee camps and apartheid.”
We are putting businesses on notice in our city that are making profit from Israel’s illegal military occupation and who are complicit in human rights violations to expect peaceful protests and sit-ins outside your shopfronts to persuade your customers to seek out more ethical outlets.”
He said the ‘die in’ outside Barclays Bank would raise awareness of the over £1 billion shares in arms companies supplying the Israeli military.
Research released by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign Against The Arms Trade and War on Want last year uncovered that Barclays holds over £1 billion in shares and provides over £3 billion in loans and underwriting to 9 companies whose weapons, components, and military technology have been used in Israel’s armed violence against Palestinians.
The companies identified include Elbit Systems, which produces military technology, surveillance systems and drones used in Israel’s attacks on Palestinians, including its bombing campaigns of the besieged Gaza Strip, which experts have labelled a genocide.
A range of financial institutions have divested from Elbit Systems due to its role in producing weapons used in violation of international law, including internationally banned cluster munitions.
Since the research was released, Barclays branches have been the site of regular protests to demand the bank ends its complicity in Israel’s militarised attacks.
Nizar Dahan, from Stand Up For Palestine, one of the co-organisers, said they were.protesting “against Barclays’ continued investments into companies that are contributing to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
“Barclays have billions in investments and loans to weapon manufacturers, namely Elbit Raytheon and JCB, who are sending drones, components, and munitions that are being used on civilian populations in Gaza, and the occupied West Bank.
We must pressure Barclays to stop using public money to make profit from the death of innocent people..If not, then we encourage people to stop banking with them and move to a more ethical bank or building society.”
Last weekend in Cardiff, hundreds of activists staged a mass direct action they called ‘Shut It Down For Palestine’ targeting businesses they say are complicit in killing of Palestinians.
This included a picket of Starbucks after the firm attacked their workers’ trade union for issuing a solidarity statement with Palestinians, surrounding a Coca-Cola truck over operating in an illegal Israeli settlement, and staging a peaceful sit-in inside Zara over a controversial display many believed mocked the victims of war.
BDS campaigners recently scored a significant victory when one of their biggest targets, Puma, announced it would no longer sponsor the Israeli Football Association, after years of protests over its backing of apartheid.
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