Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Protesters Urge Los Angeles to End Veolia Contract

Protesters briefly disrupted a meeting of the Los Angeles' City Council Transportation Committee today in an effort to urge the council to cancel a contract with a bus company they allege is complicit in human rights violations in the West Bank. Veolia is a French-based international company that operates bus services around the world, including in downtown Los Angeles, and Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The protesters accuse Veolia of providing transit for Israelis between West Jerusalem and settlements they maintain are illegal under international law. And, the protesters say the buses are segregated, with Palestinians unable to ride lines that go through Israeli checkpoints. Dan Fritz reports from Los Angeles.