From the eighteenth-century campaigns against slavery, when the sugar boycott against buying goods produced by enslaved peoples attracted 300,000 supporters, to their role in bringing to an end apartheid and segregation, boycotts have been shown to work. They are a vital democratic tool to address global injustices, which take power back to the people from oppressive regimes and greedy corporations.
The Conservatives are attempting to ban local authorities and other public bodies from exercising their right to boycott, such as by committing to ethical investment policies. However, on behalf of the Green Party, I proposed a motion at the September meeting of Islington Council for the council to raise its voice in opposition to this blatantly anti-democratic ban, a motion that was passed unanimously.
The Greens and Labour do not always see eye to eye, but we were proud of all our councillors in raising their voices in opposition to the ban, especially since Labour MPs were whipped to abstain when the bill had its second reading in Parliament.
In this campaign we are joining a broad coalition of over seventy organisations, including charities, trades unions and the Scottish government. Our local authority, for all our disagreements, has much more of a mandate to set ethical procurement policy than this Sunak-led government that none of us voted for.
Cllr Benali Hamdache, Islington Green Party
