JCB: A UK company complicit in the destruction of homes across the world

In the UK the name JCB is synonymous with building work but across the globe its equipment has more sinister uses. In Palestine it is used to destroy the houses of Palestinians, enabling Israeli settlers to take over their land. In India and Indian administered Kashmir it is used to destroy the houses of Indian Muslims suspected of criticising the government, or just because they are Muslim

These actions enable apartheid, repression of free speech and discrimination.

JCB has the means to track and monitor the use of equipment it sells, but is choosing not to do this, instead it looks the other way.

In a major new report – JCB Off Track – Amnesty gives evidence of the use of JCB equipment in war crimes and explains the steps that the company could take to prevent this. The destruction of Palestinian homes, agricultural land, and other property in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, is inextricably linked with Israel’s long-standing policy of appropriating the land it occupies, notably by establishing Israeli settlements. The transfer of parts of an occupying power’s civilian population into the territory it occupies is prohibited under international humanitarian law and is a war crime. JCB has the technology to track the location of their equipment anywhere in the world after it has been sold, and the company’s agents are central to the maintenance of their equipment. JCB could use this technology to ensure that their products are not used to commit war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

You can read more about Amnesty campaign on JCB here.

Let's join together to hold JCB accountable and raise public awareness of JCB’s complicity in human rights abuses across the globe. We are calling on the company to address the human rights risks in their value chain; we are calling on the government to change the law to require companies to do human rights due diligence, and we are calling on local authorities to exclude from tendering processes any companies linked to grave human rights violations.

Ovo Hydro in Glasgow is hosting a Motorsport event by JCB. Join us Sunday 21st of September at 11am at SEC in front of the event to raise awareness and start a campaign to ask Glasgow Council to exclude tenders from JCB until they put in place procedures to avoid their products to be used against human rights and international law.