IPSC criticises Derry & Strabane Council’s BDS implementation

During the first deputation of 2025, at Tuesday’s Governance and Strategic Planning Committee meeting, Ms Hutton noted that council adopted a corporate BDS policy in October 2016 and is listed as an Apartheid Free Zone (AFZ) on the global BDS map.

“This is mere window dressing,” she claimed. “And has not been properly implemented by council. There is little evidence of council’s actions reflecting its commitments”

“The lack of progress is not only by council but by the BDS working group within council.

“Derry IPSC and Strabane BDS have not been involved in any of these meetings, minutes have not been published, or regular meetings held.

“We believe the BDS working group has failed to achieve its potential and lacks transparency, such as publishing minutes.

“Now is the time for action,” Ms Hutton added. “This genocide has claimed the lives of possibly 200,000 people, according to the Lancet.

“Babies are freezing to death, people are starving, and humanitarian aid convoys are being attacked constantly. These children deserve a future, education, health, shelter, and food.

“We want action from our council and I say this in the best way possible: we will be a thorn in your side this year.”

SDLP Councillor Catherine McDaid said the UK and US governments have been “sitting on their hands” when it came to Palestine, and council needed to continue to put pressure on them.

She proposed that council accepts a number of IPSC proposals for council to implement in 2025.

These include strengthening the BDS working group by inviting representatives from both IPSC and Strabane BDS, holding regular meetings, publishing minutes, and developing implementation policies.

The IPSC also proposed a campaign for an Apartheid-free Derry through the removal of products “complicit in genocide” from council premises.

Sinn Féin Councillor Sandra Duffy said it was “only right” that an IPSC deputation was the first of the year in council, and it was important that council “build as broad a coalition as we possibly can around solidarity for the Palestinian people”.

She amended the proposal to invite representatives from the Bloody Sunday Trust to working group meetings.

Councillor Duffy said the council could “double down” by providing “ethical” products in council-owned buildings like leisure centres, and her party had been working to progress the Occupied Territories Bill in Dáil Éireann.

“But we do need to do much more to achieve our aims,” she said. “ And we have really good local businesses that we do need to support, who are doing their most to promote those aims and objectives.

“We would like to see more regular meetings [of the working group] and more positive outcomes around it, but unfortunately at times there are legalities that we probably should be explaining to the public more often.”

People Before Profit Councillor Shaun Harkin said he was “very proud that council took a strong position in support of Palestine self-determination” but agreed that the BDS working group do not meet often enough, while independent councillor Gary Donnelly said he doubted the BDS policy in council would be “implemented in any significant way”.

“I believe that it has become a talking shop and a stalling tactic,” Councillor Donnelly concluded. “But people are taking the lead and boycotting the tools of Zionism.”

“They’re not buying the products and they’re having the fundraisers, so I want to pay tribute to you for the great work that you’ve done.”

Andrew Balfour,

Local Democracy Reporter.