Israel boycott restrictions thrown out by UK’s High Court | The Electronic Intifada
▻https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-boycott-restrictions-thrown-out-uks-high-court
The High Court in London ruled on Thursday that the Conservative government acted unlawfully in trying to prevent local councils in the United Kingdom from divesting from firms involved in Israel’s military occupation.
The successful legal challenge for the right to boycott was brought by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in March, and was supported by War on Want, the Campaign Against the Arms Trade and the Quakers.
”We couldn’t be happier that this right has been upheld by the court,” said PSC Director Ben Jamal.
Recent UK polling showed that two in five people consider BDS – boycott, divestment and sanctions – a reasonable Palestinian response to Israel’s crimes.
“Today is a victory for Palestine, for local democracy and for the rule of law,” PSC Chair Hugh Lanning said. “Absolutely everyone has a right to peacefully protest Israel’s violation of Palestinian human rights.”
In a judicial review published on Thursday, judge Ross Cranston overturned part of a guidance document issued in September by local government minister Sajid Javid.
The court ruled that the government had acted improperly by seeking to use pension law to pursue its own foreign and arms industry policy.
