An investigation conducted by Roar has revealed that figures quoted by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s University Complicity Database are partially outdated and inaccurate.
King’s College London (KCL) has been listed on the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) University Complicity Database as having allegedly invested £3,980,019 in Israeli-complicit companies, based on information retrieved through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
According to a response from the PSC, the Database comprises figures sourced from FOI requests made in 2019. Of the £238,164,038 of investments made by the College that year, £57,321,492 were linked to the BlackRock Developed World Ex Tobacco Index Fund, considered by the group to be one of the most “complicit” funds King’s invests with. This figure is the largest segment of investments made by King’s through any fund in 2019.
As the data PSC gathered is from 2019, Roar sent FOI requests for an updated report. According to this new data, KCL no longer trades with the BlackRock Developed World Ex Tobacco Index Fund subset, having instead transitioned to BlackRock’s Developed World Fossil Fuel Screened Fund subset. King’s investment in the latter fund between 2020-21 was £17,671,143, an almost £40,000,000 decrease from the College’s prior Ex Tobacco Index investments. This initial figure, paired with the transition in investment, indicates that the College is no longer investing as much into Israeli-complicit companies as previously.
Whilst Roar was unable to determine which specific companies the Developed World Fossil Fuel Screened Fund deals with, the majority of King’s “complicit” investments have been cut significantly when compared to the original 2019 figures.
The PSC website also listed a number of companies that King’s has investments in, in addition to how they are complicit in the Israeli-Palestine conflict. When asked about the extent of these investments, the College declined Roar’s request, stating: “Disclosure of the information in question would be likely to weaken the position of the University and its fund managers in an increasing competitive sector by revealing commercially sensitive information of potential usefulness to other investors.”
When queried on the nature of the university’s relationship with Technion Israel Institute of Technology, KCL redirected Roar to an article posted on the College website which argues its collaborations with the university “support our core education and research aims and reflect our core value of academic freedom. Through our relationships, we can pool expertise to create high impact research on global issues and create opportunities for academics and students to study and work in different environments.” The university’s relationship with Technion is ongoing, and concerns research into ageing. According to reports by the Guardian, Technion has strong ties with Israeli military and arms manufacturers.
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