Palestinian Prisoners Day Action: Demand Gates Foundation Divest from G4S

April 17 marks Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, a day of international action and solidarity with the over 5,100 Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails. This year – the 40th anniversary of the liberation of Palestinian prisoner Mahmoud Hijazi in a prisoner exchange – Palestinian organizations are calling for action to demand that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation end its investments in G4S.

Addameer, the Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association in Palestine, and the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions National Committee are calling upon organizers globally to take action. G4S, the global security corporation, is subject to an international boycott campaign because of its direct involvement in the imprisonment of Palestinians, including providing surveillance and security equipment and operations to multiple Israeli jails, detention centers and military courts holding Palestinian political prisoners where they are tortured and wrongfully detained.

The US Palestinian Community Network joins hundreds of Palestinian and international organizations in calling for an end to the Gates Foundation’s investment in G4S. Numerous G4S contracts have already been brought to an end in response to the Palestinian call for boycott and community campaigns for justice around the world.

The Gates Foundation owns shares in G4S worth more than $170 million. The foundation claims 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, it is legitimizing and profiting from Israel’s use of torture and mass incarceration.

This Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, take action:

1) Sign Addameer’s petition to the Gates Foundation calling for it to divest from G4S!

2) Share the G4S Divest campaign graphics on social media. Find them on Addameer’s page.

3) Tell the Gates Foundation to divest via Twitter and Facebook. Tweet @gatesfoundation and use#StopG4S. Post a message on their Facebook page.

4) Watch and share G4S: Securing War Crimes.