A protest has taken place in Barnsley outside the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, as demonstrators called for the organisation to divest from companies linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. 

Chants of “South Yorkshire Pensions, you are complicit” were shouted as the quarterly meeting of the Authority was conducted.

Some of the companies the protestors took issue with include aircraft manufacturer AirBus and defence company BAE Systems, which has recently announced a £25m artillery production facility in Sheffield.

Sue Owen, member of the group South Yorkshire Pensions Divest For Palestine (SYPDP) said that organisations like BAE Systems are culpable for devastation in the region.

She said: “BAE Systems is the 4th largest arms producer. Its portfolio includes aircraft, warships, and artillery.”

“We are involuntary being involved in this when we do not want this, we do not want our money invested in these companies.”

Representatives from the group were allowed into the meeting to question the committee and raise their concerns.

SYPDP member June Cattell asked an audience that included Lord Mayor Jayne Dunn and leaders from major trade unions if they had a responsibility to investigate the companies they put pensions funds into.

In response, the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority emphasised that they cannot change its investment mandate without the approval of its other partners. 

“The Authority is not, nor can it be an ethical investor.”

“[Our] fiduciary duty is to act in the best interests of scheme members, which is primarily defined in financial terms. Disinvesting from large multinational companies with marginal exposure to Israel which provide strong capital growth and dividend flows is unlikely to be seen as acting in line with scheme members best interests.”

Cattell said that they will continue protesting, and that they will “find all sorts of ways to question how they do business.”