Campaigners today disrupted the annual general meeting of security company G4S to protest its role i

Campaigners today disrupted the annual general meeting of security company G4S to protest its role in UK migrant detention centres and Israeli prisons where Palestinian political prisoners are tortured.Company directors looked visibly annoyed as the meeting was repeatedly interrupted as campaigners chanted “Shut them all down”, a reference to the company’s role in UK migrant detention centres, and “we want actions not words”, a criticism of the company breaking previous promises to end its role in Israel’s prisons and checkpoints. Excessive force was used to remove one of the campaigners, resulting in her clothes being ripped and her upper body being exposed to the crowd. Her requests to ask the security to cover her body back up were ignored and they were later told that there was no official formal complaints procedure.Layla White said: “From immigration detention centres in the UK to youth jails in the US to checkpoints and prisons in Palestine, G4S facilitates and profits from racist oppression in countries across the world.” “G4S was today again asked to confirm that it plans to completely end its contracts with the Israeli prison service, check points and military and the company again refused to make clear whether or not it plans to end its involvement in Israeli human rights violations.“ "We take this action in solidarity with the thousands of Palestinians arrested in the last six months for protesting Israel’s brutal apartheid regime and the 750 Palestinians held in administrative detention, a form of unlimited detention without charge.”“G4S provides services to Yarl’s Wood and helps run 3 migrant detention centres, making it a key player in the UK’s racist system of migrant detention and deportation. It’s time to shut them all down!”Commenting on the use of excessive force against one of the activists, they added: “If this is what G4S’ shareholders meetings are like, I’d hate to see their prisons.“The leaders of some of the UK’s biggest trade unions and campaign groups recently wrote to G4S to clarify its announcement that it “expects to exit” the Israeli market and sell its Israeli subsidiary. Campaigner’s say that the company’s response to the letter shows it is not taking adequate steps to address its involvement in Israeli human rights violations.A pledge G4S made in 2012 to end its involvement in Ofer prison and Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank by the end of 2015 never materialised.Angolan migrant Jimmy Mubenga was killed by G4S while on a deportation flight run by G4S. G4S runs Brook House, Tinsley House and Cedars immigration detention centres and provides health services to the Yarl’s Wood detention centre where women and families are detained. G4S has faced thousands of complaints about conditions at its detention centres. Investigations by Channel 4 and the Independent have revealed how the healthcare services that G4S provides to Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre. Our sister group Manchester Palestine Action also targeted the G4S office there! More information on War On Want’s site. -- source link

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