UK Labour Party’s Boycott of Company with Ties to Israel Backfires

The UK Labour Party’s upcoming conference is in jeopardy after being rejected by five security companies, including one that the party had initially boycotted over its ties to Israel.

By Lea Speyer, The Algemeiner

Britain’s Labour Party was “left humiliated” after a company it had boycotted refused its request to provide security for its upcoming annual conference, the UK’s Telegraph reported on Thursday.

According to the report, Labour turned to global security firm G4S after being rejected by five different security companies — something that now puts the conference, slated to be held in Liverpool next month, in jeopardy. The party had initially refused to hire G4S over its ties to Israel. But it was warned that if it failed to secure an alternative, its conference would be canceled. Furthermore, the report said, the local police informed the party that it would not be able to fulfill this role.

Sources close to G4S told The Telegraph that the short notice was only one of the reasons that the company was forced to decline Labour’s offer. Another had to do with concerns about the safety of staff members, who — during previous conferences — were spat at and verbally abused.

Eric Alexander, G4S’s managing director for UK events, told The Telegraph that organizing security procedures for an event the size of Labour’s conference takes “up to a year in advance.”

“Clearly we were disappointed not to continue such a successful working relationship. Safety for delegates and our staff is our priority and at this late stage and with our teams committed elsewhere, we are not in a position to step in and provide security for the conference,” Alexander said.

Last year, Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) voted to boycott G4S — the world’s largest security company — following objections by the anti-Israel Palestine Solidarity Campaign to the relationship with “Israeli prisons which hold Palestinian political prisoners from occupied Palestinian territory inside Israel.”

The news of Labour’s latest conundrum comes amid the backdrop of the party’s ongoing antisemitism scandal. The Telegraph reported last week that 6,000 Labour members have been reported to the party’s National Executive Committee over allegations of antisemitism and abuse. The party members face possible suspension or expulsion from Labour.