BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti hits back at 'repressive' UK anti-boycott bill

A co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel has accused the UK government of "trying to silence" advocates of Palestinian rights.

Omar Barghouti spoke with The New Arab about Conservative cabinet minister Michael Gove's controversial anti-boycott bill, which is currently making its way through Westminster Palace after it was first introduced in June.

During the bill's second reading debate in July, Gove mentioned Barghouti by name. While the proposed bill does not criminalise BDS outright, it would apply to procurement and investment decisions by public bodies like local councils, preventing them from carrying out their own economic campaigns against foreign states.

However, Barghouti said that BDS was still a target in the bill, and if it is passed, the government can use it as a template against the climate and racial justice movements as well as trade unions.