Palestine solidarity campaigners dominate annual meeting of G4S

posted on: Jun 5, 2015

The annual general meeting of the security company G4S descended into chaos on Thursday as board members faced a grilling over the firm’s involvement in Israel’s occupation.

For the third year in a row, the firm’s AGM was taken over by human rights campaigners directing tough questions at chief executive Ashley Almanza and chairperson John Connolly.

Campaigners from groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, London Palestine Action, Stop G4S and War on Want, who had bought a share each in the company in order to attend, far outnumbered those whose shares were bought for profit.

And their angry voices were far louder than those of “genuine” shareholders who only managed to ask two questions during the two-hour meeting in London.

The rest of the AGM was dominated by questions on G4S’ Israeli contracts and frequent disruptions from beginning to end by activists who stood up to read out the details of Palestinian prisoners, including children, being held and tortured in G4S-serviced jails.

Some activists wore masks showing the face of the prisoner whose story they were telling, others blew whistles. Two activists threw hundreds of tiny pieces of paper, each one bearing the face of a prisoner on it, which lay scattered across the meeting room floor in silent protest as the AGM went on.

As activists stood up and started reading statements, they were approached by up to four of the G4S security guards who stood lining two walls of the room. Most were carried out by their arms and legs, still shouting, “Stop hurting me”, “This is what you do to Palestinian prisoners in Israel” and “G4S has blood on its hands.”

Aware of the journalists present in the room, Connolly, at one point, said: “None of our security staff enjoy this aspect of their jobs.”

Source: electronicintifada.net