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Greens admit they are powerless to implement Israel pension fund divestment pledge
Ex-Labour councillors respond furiously to Haringey Council pension committee chair's admission saying 'You and your colleagues harassed us for years on this'
A Green councillor and chair of a pensions committee has admitted that the party is powerless to implement its pre-election promise to divest from funds allegedly linked to Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, despite previous commitments.
In a message to local voters, Councillor Fin Fitzgerald, chair of Haringey Council’s pensions committee, revealed he had discovered that central government had “effectively banned councils” from implementing exclusion lists, calling it a “huge blow” to the autonomy of local authorities over their own pension fund policies.
Fitzgerald further explained that no local borough in London can control its own investment strategy, as all are part of a wider pool that implements a unified approach on behalf of the capital’s councils.
The Green councillor, who—along with colleagues—committed to divesting from firms that “normalise Israel’s violations of international law, including through the council divesting pensions and any other funds it administers” as part of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s pre-election candidate pledge, has now admitted to meeting with colleagues to discuss “how we can operate in this structure.”
“There are definitely challenges,” added Fitzgerald. “The biggest thing to understand is that central government has set about taking away the power of local authorities to control their own investment policy implementation.”
But Fitzgerald’s admission has infuriated former Labour activists and council leaders, who accuse him of simply repeating what has long been known about pension fund policies.
The former Labour leader of Haringey Council, Peray Ahmet, posted on X: “I have thus far resisted from commenting on anything Haringey-related…
“But here is the Green Party chair of the Haringey Pensions Committee explaining why they simply cannot ‘divest now’.”
“Why they cannot name specific countries (Israel). I mean it’s not as if human rights abuses happen in any other country in the world, is it!
“You and your colleagues harassed us for years on this, refused to accept our explanations even when we introduced a new ethical policy and called us ‘child killers’.
“You put out election leaflets saying you will ‘divest now’. So please tell us WHEN and stop offering excuses that you didn’t accept from us.”
Emine Ibrahim, former deputy leader of Haringey and ex-Labour councillor, added: “Watch this video, everyone—and Labour councillors who faced a campaign of abuse on pensions divestment, called child killers and ‘genocide enablers’.
“The Green Party ran a video in Haringey saying a vote for them is a vote for Gaza. Here they are now, saying exactly what we said. Shameful.”
A newspaper investigation last weekend reported that the PSC was behind an intimidating and well-funded campaign ahead of the local elections, pressuring candidates to back its demand to pull pension funds out of Israeli assets.
Across London, Green candidates committed to the pledge, which helped them pile up votes in boroughs such as Hackney, Haringey, Lewisham, and other councils in the capital.
In Hackney in 2023, PSC members demonstrating outside the town hall entered the public gallery during a pensions committee meeting, chanting “stop funding apartheid”, “stop the genocide,” and “Hackney Council, shame on you”, which forced the committee to relocate to continue its session.
Hackney’s Green mayor Zoe Garbett had pledged to “immediately”pursue divestment if she was elected, but like other Green leaders has failed to make any impact on the issue since May.
There were similar scenes in Haringey and at other meetings.
Michael Desmond, a former Hackney Labour councillor, told the Sunday Times: “I have no objection to PSC campaigning for Palestinian rights; I do feel it inappropriate at a local election for some supporters, including from the Green Party, to encourage voters not to vote for candidates who had not signed the pledge.”
When approached by The Sunday Times, PSC said it was “a mass democratic campaign,” adding: “Our marches and campaigns bring together people from every background in opposition to all forms of racism and prejudice, including Israeli apartheid, antisemitism, and Islamophobia.
“We call on local and national elected representatives to listen to the British public and end all support for Israel’s atrocities.”
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