A ‘mystery illness’ swept through the ranks of elected representatives at the weekend, just when a campaign group was about to pay them a visit in Thornton Heath
Get well soon: all three Thornton Heath councillors came down with a mystery illness on Saturday
All three of Thornton Heath’s Labour councillors were overcome by an outbreak of a mystery illness on Saturday, making them unable to attend their regular monthly surgery to hear residents’ concerns.
Which is unfortunate, and we wish all three a speedy recovery, as we are sure that their absence from the Sally Army’s base on Thornton Heath High Street had absolutely nothing to do with a planned rally of Croydon Divest, a group of residents from across the borough who see no good reason for public money from Croydon being used to arm the Israeli war machine.
Callton Young is the senior Labour councillor who chairs the council’s pension committee. His ward colleague, Karen Jewitt, is also on the pension committee.
In April, Councillor Young stood up at a Town Hall meeting and, instead of answering the public question, he pledged to have a meeting with Croydon Divest to explain why the council continues to invest in weapons firms that supply the Israel Defence Force.
Pledge: Callton Young said he would meet Croydon Divest. Nothing has been seen or heard from him since April
Despite hundreds of letters of support for Croydon Divest sent to other councillors across the borough, Young has failed to agree to any meeting.
So members of Croydon Divest went to meet the councillor on his own patch on Saturday. Except he suddenly came over all unwell…
“You might think councillors would be careful to honour pledges made to groups of Croydon residents. But it seems this may not be so,” a spokesperson for Croydon Divest said.
There’s considerable scepticim over the reasoning given so far for Croydon’s continued investments in the arms trade. In 2014, Croydon Labour carried out its election pledge to divest from the tobacco industry. Croydon Divest wants to know why the council claims to be powerless now to carry out a similar divestment on principle.
Croydon Divest say that all their emails, phone calls and letters to Councillor Young and other pension committee members have been met with a wall of silence.
“When Callton Young agreed to meet members of Croydon Divest, I was pleasantly surprised,” said Ita Gallagher, the Croydon Divest member who raised the matter at the most recent full council meeting.
Rallying point: Croydon Divest haven’t heard back from Callton Yung in more than three months. So on Saturday, they turned up for the councillor’s monthly surgery
“I never imagined, however, that Councillor Young would renege on that agreement or refuse to respond to my messages requesting a date for the meeting.
“I therefore planned to ask him in person, but it appears all three Labour councillors for Thornton Heath were so ill on Saturday they had to cancel their monthly surgery.
“If I were a suspicious person I’d say it looks like they’re trying to avoid us.”
Green Party councillor Ria Patel, who was with the group, said, “It’s appalling that, despite promising to meet with Croydon Divest group back in April, Callton Young continues to dodge any conversation with them.
“Croydon is actively aiding genocide through its pension fund, and Croydon Labour do not seem to care. It’s disgusting.
“One resident was nearly in tears because she turned up to speak to her representatives and couldn’t.”
Ferial Saada, a Palestinian living in Croydon, described Young’s no-show as “a disgraceful failure to engage with our community”.
Saada said: “For months, our coalition has called on Croydon Council to divest from weapons and arms companies, yet the council continues to refuse to uphold human rights, remaining complicit in the genocide against Palestinians.”
“Callton Young should demonstrate courage and have this crucial conversation with us. And Croydon Council must Divest Now.”
Croydon Divest has calculated that the council has significant investments in Israeli state bonds and Israeli arms companies, such as Elbit Systems.
“Other, ethical investments are available. They are hiding from the scrutiny of the community,” a Croydon Divest member said.
“This is not democracy.”
Read more: Council invests £16m in companies ‘complicit in war crimes’
Read more: Labour deselects Jewish Streatham councillor for Gaza support
Read more: People power! Reed’s ‘sinister’ complaint is dropped by police
Read more: Our four MPs are doing nothing to try to stop carnage in Gaza
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Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has just announced her plans to ban the protest group Palestinian Action. This comes a day after Starmer, a lawyer by trade and someone who should know that you are innocent until proven guilty, said that Irish rap group Kneecap should not be allowed to play their slot at Glastonbury.
Back in April, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and the Public Interest Law Centre gave the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Team a dossier naming 10 British nationals alleged to be serving in the Israel Defense Forces and to have taken part in “indiscriminate attacks” on civilian areas, including hospitals, and the “targeted killing” of civilians and aid workers. Since then, silence and inaction from them, more war crimes in Gaza.
If you protest about genocide in Gaza, the British government will try to shut you up and threaten to jail you. If you take part in it, they will turn a blind eye. If you’re orchestrating it, they will help you
Zarah Sultana MP recently pointed out that when in 2003 anti-war activists broke into RAF Fairford to stop US bombers heading to Iraq, Keir Starmer defended their actions and said it was justified to prevent war crimes. Seems to have changed his tune.
Labour Friends of Genocide.
Makes you want to vote for Monster Raving Loony Party doesn’t it. At least they don’t insult your intelligence. Or worse still, a trip thrpugh Nineteen Eighty-Four. What are Croydon labour so paranoid about? People knowing the truth? People having a say?
Callton Young has done a runner on numerous occasions.
Perhaps, we ought to bring a Dr along with us next time – to diagnose his enigmatic illness aka NOT answering to his constituents and doing a timely runner!
Even the FOIs requests have been ignored and I have reported Croydon Council to the ICO for non-disclosure. So, in the interest of Croydon residents, if I may pose my questions here:
1. What proportion of the Croydon Council’s Pension allocation is invested in Israeli companies? (£ value, % value)?
2. Which fund manager is mandated to invest in Israeli companies (previously it was UBS Asset Management I believe)?
3. What is the ESG (“Governance” being operative) criteria when investing in sectors that promote War, Environment degredation and Genocide?
4. When is the next Croydon Council’s Pension asset allocation manager review?