Prominent authors support divestment from companies that profit from Israel
More than 200 authors, including Naomi Klein and Sally Rooney, have signed a letter calling for increased pressure on investment management firm Baillie Gifford — sponsors of the Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction — to divest “from companies that profit from Israeli apartheid, occupation and genocide”, Al Jazeera reports.
The letter was inked by Fossil Free Books, a UK-based group of workers in the literary industry, which has pressured the company to stop investing in the fossil fuel industry. Now, it is also focusing on divestment from Israel as it believes that “solidarity with Palestine and climate justice are inextricably linked”.
Literary organisations that accept sponsorship from Baillie Gifford “can expect escalation, including the expansion of boycotts, increased author withdrawal of labour, and increased disruption until Baillie Gifford divests,” the letter reads.