TOMORROW: Palestine Place to join coalition of protesters opposing notorious security giant G4S

Where: London Stock Exchange, Paternoster Square, London EC4M 7LS
When: 12.30PM onwards
Contact: Zaneta on 07927 189671 or Hilary 07756 977167 or phone 07448 613383

This Thursday (June 7) a coalition of protestors will demonstrate against the private security company G4S as its Annual General Meeting takes place, calling for an end to the firm’s involvement in human rights abuses around the world.

The multinational security firm – which lost its contract to deport people from the UK last September after 773 complaints of abuse were made against it – will be opposed in the heart of the City by a number of networks collectively involved in organising a lively protest to voice disgust at the company’s record.

Palestine Place, a newly reclaimed space in central London hosting two weeks of workshops and discussions in support of Palestine, has endorsed the demonstration because of G4S’s involvement in human rights abuses in occupied Palestine.

G4S is contracted to provide equipment to the Israeli prisons in which Palestinian political prisoners, including child prisoners, are illegally held. More than 1,600 Palestinian political prisoners recently held a mass hunger strike and several remain on hunger strike.

Activists have produced an alternative annual report detailing G4S’s record including the death of Jimmy Mubenga, its running of prisons, probation services and welfare services in Britain.

Despite its abysmal record, G4S was recently awarded contracts to provide security for the Olympic Games, house asylum seekers in South Yorkshire and to take over parts of 10 UK police forces.

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== Notes for editors ==

*More information on G4S’s involvement in deporting asylum seekers, profiting from Israeli apartheid and more, please see ‘Many Reasons to Stop G4S’  http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=4343

*Palestinian political prisoners have been – and are – on hunger strike in protest against appalling conditions, barbaric interrogation techniques and being held without charge or trial under Israel’s system of administrative detention.

*Jimmy Mubenga was an Angolan asylum seeker who died after being ‘restrained’ by G4S guards during deportation from the UK. More info:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/jimmy-mubenga

* The protest has been endorsed by the following groups: Boycott Israel Network, Corporate Watch, Croydon Migrant Solidarity, Defend the Right to Protest, Friends of al-Aqsa, International Federation of Iraqi Refugees, Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, No Borders London, No One is Illegal, Palestine Place, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group, Stop Deportation Network, Yorkshire Region Plus No to G4S Campaign

*Palestine Place is a newly reclaimed space in central London hosting two weeks of workshops, discussion and action in support of Palestine. It is located at 24 Gray’s Inn Road, WC1X 8HP.
WEBSITE: palestineplace.wordpress.com
FACEBOOK: Palestine Place
TWITTER: @palestineplace
EMAIL:  palestineplace@riseup.net