Sinn Féin cites Coca Cola’s presence in illegal Israeli settlement
Belfast Council is temporarily holding off funding to an NI youth climate change programme due to involvement from Coca Cola, who are on a boycott list for involvement in an illegal Israeli settlement in occupied Palestine territories.
Sinn Féin successfully proposed that City Hall hold off on funding for the ’30 under 30′ Northern Ireland Climate Change-Maker’s programme during a committee meeting on Friday (August 22), for further information on co-sponsors for the event.
Officials at the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee recommended the council contribute £8,750 plus VAT for the ’30 under 30′ initiative – a climate focused initiative where young leaders from Northern Ireland get to take part in an international learning programme. The overall budget for the programme is £100,000, which will run from October 2025 to June 2026.
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The programme is coordinated by the Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and their partner Podiem. The council report on the programme states: “The initiative, featuring world-class speakers and experts, will be supported by organisations such as the Garfield Weston Foundation, Pinsent Masons, Coca Cola and Danske Bank (to name a few) with a request for local authority involvement being addressed through this approach to Belfast City Council.”
At the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on Friday, Sinn Féin dissented when elected members were asked if they were minded to approve the funding.
Sinn Féin Councillor Ryan Murphy said: “It is related to some of the other contributors towards this, the likes of Coca Cola. With everything that is going on at the minute in Palestine, with Coca Cola being on a BDS list, I am not too comfortable being a co-sponsor for a programme like this, where we would be sharing a platform with organisations like that. So we wouldn’t be minded to support it.
“Also, last year when this came up, we had asked for feedback around the participants, to ensure there were opportunities for younger people, particularly from working class backgrounds. I don’t believe that has happened to date.
“We would not be in a position to support this today, unless there is more information coming back on the co-sponsors, and even some of the participants as well.”
A council officer said he would return with more details on the role of Coca Cola in the programme.
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions National Committee added Coca-Cola to its priority boycott list in December 2024. This decision was based on the company’s operations in an Israeli settlement considered illegal under international law.
A Coca-Cola factory is located in Atarot, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. The BDS movement, which aims to pressure Israel to comply with international law, has targeted Coca-Cola due to its involvement with this settlement. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign and other groups are calling for boycotts of Coca-Cola and its associated brands as part of their broader campaign against alleged Israeli apartheid.
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