Dún Laoghaire AGM of CRH picketed by Palestine activists

Nesher has provided cement to the Israeli Government and private enterprises that violate international law

FOR the fifth consecutive year, members and supporters of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign today staged a protest outside the annual general meeting of Irish building materials multinational CRH in Dún Laoghaire.

Campaigners held flags and a corriboard replica of the ‘Apartheid Wall’ in a protest asking the company to divest from their 25% stake in the Israeli company Mashav, a holding company for Nesher, Israel’s sole cement manufacturer.

Nesher has provided cement to the Israeli Government and private enterprises that violate international law.

These violations include building the illegal separation wall, illegal Israeli-only settlements and associated infrastructure and checkpoints which dramatically hinder Palestinian freedom of movement.

Today, a crowd stood outside the Royal Marine Hotel and chanted “CRH – Divest now!” and “Boycott Israel” as shareholders entered the meeting.

Inside, a member of the IPSC asked the CRH Board about the status of and CRH’s attitude to the complaint submitted to the OECD by the IPSC three years ago and which CRH has yet to respond to. They also urged the company to divest from its Israeli subsidiary.

Martin O’Quigley, Chairperson of the IPSC, said:

“Today’s demonstration started very early but it simply doesn’t compare to the experiences of Palestinian workers who have to get up and start to queue at around 4am every morning thanks to the wall and checkpoints built by Israel with what essentially amounts to CRH cement.

“We will continue to urge CRH to divest from the Mashav group, in the interest of ethics, humans rights and indeed, in the interests of CRH shareholders.”