Today, the United Nations officially recognised the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Something that has been horrifyingly evident through countless images of murdered children, public calls for ethnic cleansing by the Israeli government, and the clear historical context of the colonisation of Palestine.
Since May, thousands of individuals across Dorset including members of UNISON, Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and Palestine Solidarity Movement (PSM) activists have repeatedly warned both Dorset and BCP Councils about their illegal and immoral investments that support companies complicit in these crimes. Rather than acknowledge or investigate these concerns, both councils have chosen to mislead the public and, more recently, to refuse any dialogue.
In June, a formal deputation involving multiple groups presented evidence to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Committee, highlighting that £173 million is invested in companies complicit in violations of international law, including genocide and apartheid. The committee denied any such investments existed. This was false.
We have now provided the council with detailed documentation on four separate occasions. This includes lists of companies named for human rights violations, 11 of which have been directly named by the United Nations since 2010. On 25 August, we again formally asked when the Pension Committee would review their investments.
The council and committee did not answer us.
Only after PSC’s legal team issued an opinion did we receive a comment from Dorset Council adviser Jonathan Mair. He wrote:
“If you could please provide details of the company in question and evidence of their involvement in the manufacture of controversial weapons being used in Gaza then I undertake to follow this up with colleagues and to establish whether there is any such Brunel investment.”
This statement came three months after the same adviser had assured councillors that there were no investments in companies violating international law. He and his team never checked. A council vote was pushed through based on false information, and now neither the council nor individual councillors who voted are willing to address it. We have already repeatedly provided the council with the full list of investment as well as the direct UN documents.
On 04 September 2025, we again formally asked when the Pension Committee would review their investments, if any, and clarify. Two weeks have passed. No response has been received.
Lisa Musleh from PSC stated:
“The council’s failure to even check their investments prior to our deputation while producing a full report shows a deep level of incompetence. However, their ongoing refusal to engage, respond to legitimate concerns, or admit their error is not just a betrayal of Gazans facing genocide – it’s a betrayal of the very constituents they are meant to serve. This is deliberate deception to fund the mass murder of Palestinians. The councillors think if they ignore it, they can deny their responsibility. We won’t allow it. If you are going to fund a genocide, at least admit it.”
We, the people of Dorset and BCP, will not be silent. We demand accountability, transparency, and immediate divestment from all companies complicit in genocide and the occupation of Palestine. This is about the fundamental grounds of democracy and our values as humans.
