April 17: Palestinian Prisoners Day in Johannesburg, South Africa

PALESTINIAN PRISONER DAY PROTEST (THURS 17 APRIL, JOHANNESBURG)
– Protest calling on Bill Gates Foundation to drop #G4S, the private security company that runs Israeli prisons

WHEN: Thursday, 17th April
TIME: 11h00- 15h00
WHERE: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation House, Corner Glenhove Road and 9th Street, Houghton/Rosebank, Johannesburg
LANDMARK: Diagonally across from McDonlands in Rosebank
CONTACT: 0849843078 / 0842119988 / 0724491774

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1491804734372959/?ref=22

G4S, the British security company, runs and provides security services and equipment at Israel’s prisons. As part of the rapidly growing boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement universities, banks, charities and trade unions across the world have cancelled contracts with G4S because of its role in Israel’s abhorrent prison system, costing G4S millions of dollars.

The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, the largest charitable foundation in the world, owns shares in G4S worth more than $170 million (over 1 billion rands).
The Gates Foundation claims that it is “guided by the belief that every life has equal value” and that it uses its investments to fund projects that “help all people lead healthy, productive lives”. But through its holdings in G4S, the Gates Foundation is legitimising and profiting from Israel’s use of torture and mass incarceration.

Last month Palestinian organizations wrote to the Gates Foundation calling on the Gates Foundation to divest from G4S. That letter went unanswered. Palestinian organizations (led by the Palestinian prisoner organization Addameer together with endorsements from over 150 other groups) then called on all peace-loving peoples around the world to organize protests on the 17th of April (the international Palestinian political prisoner day) outside the offices of the Gates Foundation in the various countries where the Gates Foundation operates. Join us this Palestinian political prisoner’s day (April 17th) in calling on the Gates Foundation to divest from G4S!

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OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
1. Click here to sign the petition (which has already been signed by over 5000 people) calling on the Gates Foundation to divest from G4S complicit in Israel’s incarceration of Palestinian political prisoners: http://bit.ly/1otxXI5

2. Use Twitter to call on the Gates Foundation to divest from G4S. Tweet @gatesfoundation and use #StopG4S.

3. Post a message on the Gates Foundation Facebook page calling on them to divest from G4S: www.facebook.com/billmelindagatesfoundation

4. Join us in appealing to local businesses, restaurants, shops, property owners, universities and other entities to drop G4S. Click here (www.mediafire.com/download/bnvdngajt2lye9g/Model_G4S_Letter_by_BDS_SA.docx) for a model letter that can be downloaded, edited and delivered to businesses and other entities (remember to communicate with us any of your successes). If you are a business or other entity that is considering cancelling your G4S contract we would be happy to answer any queries that you may have. Also, please let us know if you are a businesses or organization that has already terminated your G4S contract!

5. Click here for stickers, flyers, posters, t-shirt designs and other campaign material that you can download and make use of: www.bdssouthafrica.com/2011/01/stop-g4s.html

6. “Boycott G4S” t-shirts are available for sale from BDS South Africa, contact us on 0114922414 or info@bdssouthafrica.com for more info.