“Divest public monies of ‘Occupied Territories’ products” she says
Labour Cllr Emma Cutlip has proposed a motion to Louth County Council which will declare solidarity with the people of Palestine and all people who rely on the fourth Geneva Convention for protection.
“The horrors witnessed every night on the news make me hold my children all the closer and wonder what I can do to help” she said.
“Through this motion, I found a way not merely to declare the Council’s support (for) the growing movement calling for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS), but to actually divest public money locally.
The motion requires Louth County Council to “divest itself of any and all investments, holdings, procurement, or purchasing of goods or services which have originated in whole or in part from occupying powers as defined by the fourth Geneva Convention.”
“It is clear to me that the people of Louth feel strongly about the suffering of the Palestinian people and as Netanyahu’s government continues to be emboldened by the support or blind-eye of the international community, and diplomatic efforts for peace struggle – frustration grows waiting for the government to finalise the Occupied Territories Bill first proposed in 2018 by Senator Francis Black” Cllr. Cutlip said.
“Louth County Council gathers income from parking charges, business rates, rents, and property taxes, and from government grants. This is public money, and it is the job of councillors to direct this spending in line with the needs of the people of the county.
“It is my hope that I can assist other councillors across the country to propose the same motion and to ultimately divest all local governments in Ireland. Across all local Authorities in Ireland in 2023, €6.7 billion euro was set aside for spending. Considering the total national budget measures for 2024 were €14bn, this is a significant purse of public monies. Combined, the income of local authorities comes from government grants (42%), goods and services (27%), commercial rates (27%), and local property taxes (6.5%).
“The people of Louth have made it very clear to me that they do not want to support regimes that profit from occupying territories such as the Palestinian West Bank, and so it is vital that we listen. Louth will proudly stand up against oppression.
The council has contended that EU directives which govern public procurement would be breached by the passing of the motion, however Councillor Cutlip contends that this is not the case as government publications directing local government procurement clearly permit criteria placed on public procurement that “Incorporate social considerations”.
Cllr Cutlip said that “Regulation 43 of the 2016 regulations permit a “Social Label” to be applied to tenders that ensure fair and ethical trade. Trading from occupied territories like the west bank has been called out by the International Court of Justice and is clearly capable of being applied to Council tenders under both domestic and European law.
The motion is tabled for the February meeting of Louth County Council to be held on Monday 19th in Dundalk.
