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© Joe ÓNéill
Two old Mac Bride Campaigners Fr. Sean McManus and Joe ÓNéill.
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The Washington DC based priest, Fr. Seán McManus, who launched
the Mac Bride Principles Campaign
has announced that he will launch The Holy Land Principles – a corporate code
of conduct for U.S. companies doing business in the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine, The West Band, The Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem).
'Isn’t
it very striking? The elected officials who led the campaign to end
anti-Catholic discrimination in Northern Ireland were not Irish- Americans, but
Jewish-Americans, African-Americans, Italian-Americans, Hispanic Americans and
others! To me, that is the great moral lesson of the Mac Bride Campaign.'(Fr.
Seán McManus)
The
full text of the press release by the Irish National Caucus reads:
Holy Land Principles Launched
First Mac Bride … Now Holy Land
Capitol Hill. Monday,
December 10, 2012 –
The same man who launched the Mac Bride
Principles on November 5, 1984 has now launched the Holy Land Principles –
a corporate code of conduct for U.S. companies doing business in the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine, The West Bank, The Gaza
Strip and East Jerusalem).
Fr. Sean Mc Manus – president of the Capitol Hill-based
Irish National Caucus, and of the recently formed Holy Land Principles,
Inc. – said: “The Mac Bride
Principles campaign is considered the most effective campaign ever against
anti-Catholic discrimination in Northern Ireland. And similarly, I am hoping that the
Holy Land Principles will persuade American companies to adhere to fair
employment in the Holy Land.
If Catholics in Northern Ireland deserve these Principles, who is going to
claim Palestinian Muslims and Christians do not?”
Fr. Mc Manus, who has recently returned from the Holy Land, said: “American principles must
follow American investment – everywhere. No exceptions! Irrespective of
how Americans view the problem there, one thing is surely right: American
investment dollars should not subsidize anti-Palestinian discrimination in
The Holy Land. And, therefore, I am confident that Americans will want all the
573 companies doing business there to sign the Holy Land Principles.” [ SEE PRINCIPLES BELOW].
Like the Mac Bride Principles, the Holy Land Principles
do not call for disinvestment, divestment or reverse discrimination.
Holy Land
Principles, Inc., has been established as a non-profit organization to promote
the Principles.
It will be of
interest to see if potential opponents of the Holy Land Principles will make
the same misjudgement as the British Government admitted to making in
1999. A senior official in the Department of Economic Development (DED)
said: “We did not take him [Fr. Mc Manus]
very seriously at first but the Mac Bride
Principles have caused serious problems and cost millions to try and
counteract.”
To further promote
the new Principles, Fr. Mc Manus
has brought out a new edition of his Memoirs: My American Struggle for Justice
in Northern Ireland ... And The Holy Land. In the book, which
now has 424 pages, he draws a close parallel between how the British
Government partitioned both Ireland and Palestine.
Fr. Mc Manus mapped out the plan of campaign:
“The basic strategy
of the campaign is to persuade all the 573 U.S. companies in The Holy Land to sign the
Principles. They sign by agreeing in writing ‘to make all lawful efforts to
implement the Fair Employment Practices embodied in the Holy Land
Principles in their operations in The Holy Land’ – the very same language
used by companies signing the Mac Bride
Principles.
1. The campaign
will be conducted through Shareholders’ Resolutions and through public
education.
2. This book with a
personalized letter will be sent to the CEOs of all 573 companies, plus their
Investor Relations Contact.
3. This book with a
personalized letter will be sent to all Members of Congress, House and Senate,
and all key media personnel.
4. An extensive
Direct Mail campaign will be conducted to prospective supporters –
Irish-Americans, Arab-Americans and the faith and social-justice
communities.”
END .
Holy Land Principles
American principles following
American investment
A Corporate Code of Conduct
for U.S. Companies in The Holy Land
American companies
have a responsibility to maximize the profits of their shareholders. And shareholders
have the right and responsibility to insist that their profits are earned
through ethical corporate practices – that they avoid discrimination based
on racial, ethnic or religious identity.
Moreover, ethical
investment not only benefits society but also creates stronger and
more sustainable profits for their shareholders.
In the tradition of
the Sullivan Principles (South Africa) and the Mac Bride Principles (Northern Ireland), the Holy Land Principles seek to ensure
that American dollars do not support discrimination, human rights abuses,
or violations of international law in The Holy Land (Israel/Palestine, The
West Bank, The Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem).
The Principles do
not call for disinvestment, divestment or reverse discrimination.
Responsible
corporate conduct is especially urgent today because of the deprivations and
sufferings caused by the conflict.
By endorsing the
Holy Land Principles, corporations will enhance America’s security as people in the Middle East see that American companies support
equality and fairness for all.
The Holy Land
Principles call on American companies conducting business in The Holy Land to:
1. Adhere to equal
and fair employment practices in hiring, compensation, training,
professional education, advancement and governance without discrimination
based on racial, ethnic or religious identity.
2. Identify
underrepresented employee groups and initiate active recruitment efforts to
increase the number of underrepresented employees to a level proportional
to their representation in society.
3. Make every
reasonable effort to ensure that all employees have the ability to easily,
openly and equally travel to and access corporate facilities.
4. Maintain a work
environment that is respectful of all racial, ethnic and religious groups.
5. Work with
governmental and community authorities, and support local initiatives to
eliminate disparities among racial, ethnic and religious groups in
government spending on education, training, access to health care and
housing.
6. Not make
military service a precondition or qualification for employment for any
position, other than those positions that specifically require such
experience, for the fulfilment of an employee’s particular
responsibilities.
7. Not accept
subsidies, tax incentives or other benefits that lead to the direct advantage
of one racial, ethnic or religious group over another.
8. Appoint staff to
monitor, oversee, set timetables, and publicly report on their progress
in implementing the Holy Land Principles.
END
Holy Land
Principles, Inc.
Capitol Hill • P.O. Box 15128 • Washington, DC 20003-0849
Phone:
202-488-0107 • Fax: 202-488-7537
Sean@HolyLandPrinciples.org
Support
Irish National
Caucus
P.O. BOX 15128
Capitol Hill
Washington, DC 20003-0849
Tel. 202-544-0568
Fax. 202-488-7537
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