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Ahead of divestment vote, Enfield independents call for ‘a council that listens and responds’

Campaigners in Enfield have pushed for their local council to divest from companies complicit in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. And they say the council has now confirmed it will vote on this at a 24 June meeting.

Ahead of this vote, Enfield’s independent left has been stepping up its campaign for greater community engagement, calling for:

a council that listens and responds to the people it serves

Independents have already become the main opposition to Labour-Tory domination in the area, thanks to the 2024 general and local election campaigns by anti-war, anti-austerity candidate Khalid Sadur. Despite a low budget, Sadur received Jeremy Corbyn’s endorsement and surprised the local political establishment.

With a new rebrand, Enfield Community Independents (ECI) have signalled their intention to stick around with their:

vision to provide a new political alternative and build a society based upon compassion, where every person, regardless of background or status has an opportunity to live with dignity, equality and purpose.

The group says:

local people should have a greater say in how their Borough is run. Too often, decisions are made behind closed doors by politicians who put party interests ahead of local needs.

And as ECI leader, Sadur himself insisted that:

Enfield deserves a council that listens and responds to the people it serves

Part of “a national shift towards community-first politics”

A focus on independence in the ECI branding, Sadur said:

signals our determination to put power back in the hands of residents, not party machines.

He added:

If you want to make a difference in your community, now is the time to get involved.

In a press release, ECI stated:

Whether you’re a community activist, a concerned parent, or simply someone who wants better for Enfield, ECI is providing a platform to run a people-powered campaign.

But the independent wave, Sadur stressed, isn’t only a local movement:

This isn’t just about Enfield; it’s about a national shift towards community-first politics.

We’re part of a growing collective network of Independents standing up for economic equality, social justice, public ownership and environmental responsibility.

And ECI asserted the “Community Independents movement” is “sweeping across the UK” because people are:

fed up with broken promises and divisive party politics

That’s why:

communities nationwide are turning to Independent candidates who are free from party whips and solely accountable to local voters.

Support Enfield in demanding divestment

At least 81 local government pension funds invest in complicit companies. And a Freedom of Information request revealed in 2024 that Enfield Council “invests more than £53 million of workers’ pension funds in companies complicit in human rights violations, apartheid and genocide in Palestine”. Subsequently, a grassroots effort from Enfield Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Enfield Solidarity with Palestine, and Enfield Stop the War Coalition managed to collect over 3,500 signatures for a petition calling on the Enfield Council Pension Fund committee to “divest all Local Government Pension Scheme funds from companies complicit in Israel’s violations of human rights and International Law”.

Now that the council has confirmed it will vote on the divestment request, there is a call for residents to keep raising there voices. The grassroots coalition behind the petition has asked people to contact their councillors and to show their support in person on 24 June when the vote will take place. Two days later, meanwhile, there will be a solidarity event with Michael Rosen and Amira Nimerawi.

Featured image via the Canary

By Ed Sykes

This post was originally published on Canary.