ACTIVISTS disrupted a meeting at Bradford Council on Tuesday night as they called for the divestment of £1 billion in companies complicit in the genocide in Gaza.

Protesters chanted “shame on you” at Labour councillors from the gallery and hung up banners saying “divest from genocide now” and “profits covered in Palestinian blood.”

One councillor, independent Ismail Uddin, wrote on social media that Labour councillors “ran out of the chambers” as soon as the activists appeared.

That evening, a motion was brought by the Bradford Independents, asking the council to call on the West Yorkshire Pension Fund to disinvest from firms enabling or profiting from human rights violations in Palestine.

Leading the debate, Councillor David Ward said: “Anyone who votes against our motion is complicit in helping Israel to breach international humanitarian law.

“We’re not talking about a little bit of spare money. 

“We’re talking about nearly a billion pounds invested through the pension fund in complicit companies that are contributing to the suffering of the Palestinians.”

The motion was supported by the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats.

But Labour, which holds a majority in the council by three members, disregarded calls to put pressure on the fund and forwarded an amendment in which they said that councillors have no power to instruct the fund as it is independent.

The party went on to reiterate calls for a ceasefire. 

Mr Ward said: “It’s no use (Labour) Councillor Hinchcliffe telling me you’ve called for another ceasefire. 

“How many is it? Two? Three? How’s that going?” 

The Tories abstained from the vote. Labour voted down the motion and voted through their own amendment meaning the original motion was lost.