Demonstrators rallied in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza on Monday, 23 November to mark the United Nations’ International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and protest the UN’s contracts with British-Danish security company G4S, which also equips Israeli checkpoints, detention centers, military and police forces, and prisons. The demonstration, organized by Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, was the first event in a global week of protests demanding the UN end its ties to the company.
Forthcoming actions will take place in Ireland, Belgium, Italy, Amman, Jordan and elsewhere, alongside a social media campaign in the coming week. 220 organizations have called on the UN to cancel its contracts with G4S, worth millions of dollars annually.
The British Labour Party is the most recent G4S client to cancel its contracts because of its involvement in Israeli repression in Palestine, following the Gates Foundation’s divestment of a $170 million stake after a prolonged campaign, and universities in the UK and Europe rejecting G4S contracts due to its human rights record.
Photos by Joe Catron of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.
