LONDON /PNN/ 

The Trades Union Congress, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, has passed a motion condemning Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people and supporting the right to boycott companies complicit in Israeli war crimes.

The UK-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said the motion calls for support for the Right to Boycott coalition of more than 70 civil society organizations, including Unite the Union, UNISON, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Liberty, the Quakers, the Methodist Church, the Muslim Association of Britain and Na’amod: UK Jews Against the Occupation.

The TUC motion rejects “any attempt to delegitimize the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and to suggest that Palestinians should be denied the right to appeal to people of conscience for support.”

Ben Jamal, PSC Director, said, “We welcome the passing of this important motion which confirms the enduring support of the British trade union movement for the Palestinian struggle for liberation, and its opposition to the Government’s attempts to repress the BDS movement.”

“The motion importantly rejects any attempt to delegitimize the Palestinian call for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions against Israel and companies supporting its oppression and support for that call here in the UK,” he added.

Jamal urged the Labour Party leadership “to pay heed to this overwhelming vote by a body representing millions of British workers, including thousands of Labour Party members.”