Join DnG Divest in its demand for Dumfries and Galloway Council to divest from apartheid and warm crimes!

According to its most recent list of investments, 63.7% of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s (D&GC) £1 billion pension fund is managed by Legal and General (L&G).

As the largest pension fund manager in D&GC’s portfolio (overseeing £704 million of our pension contributions), L&G’s investment decisions reflect on D&GC more than any other.

Furthermore, because of its investments, L&G is complicit in numerous breaches of international law, human rights violations and war crimes: including, but not limited to, the targeting of civilians and civilian structures; indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including blocking aid to the whole population and the use of weapons with wide area affects; and the failure to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians throughout all occupied territories in Gaza and the West Bank. Knowing these facts, the ICJ has ruled that Israel is “plausibly committing genocide” against the Palestinian people.

As per its Responsible Investment Beliefs Statement (2022) D&G Pension Fund states that “investment managers are expected to integrate responsible investment into processes and decision making”. Tragically, this statement is directly at odds with the impact of the council’s investment practices, and as such, D&GC is failing in its duty to uphold international law and human rights norms.

In March 2024 D&GC voted unanimously in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. We, therefore, now call on D&GC to examine its conscience, put its principles into practice, and to follow its own guidelines on ethical investment by divesting itself of its shares in L&G.

Once signed, please comment if your pension is affected by this and share widely.

We have further Calls to Action and need your support. Please join our WhatsApp group via the link or attached QR code, or email us at dngdivest@gmail.com for more information.

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In peace and solidarity,

DnG Divest