Consumer Boycotts

[Desertrose2023]

I posted the BDS list in the supporting Palestinian businesses thread and recent discussion on another thread re the backlash against Zara got me wondering how many others are participating in consumer boycotts linked to the conflict in Gaza (and the occupation in Palestine) or for different reasons.

there are a number of brands I’m boycotting usually for a mix of reasons, political, environmental and social. Interested to hear views from others.

Disclaimer: to avoid any misinterpretation or twisting of my words - I do not support any acts of violence or vandalism or boycotting based on religion/ethnicity.

all the ones on the BDS committee list

https://bdsmovement.net/

in addition to a few others (sample below)

Starbucks: overpriced shit coffee and they recently sued their union for tweeting in support/solidarity with Palestine.

Zara: I stopped buying stuff following the controversy of their head womenswear designer making disgusting anti-Palestinian comments. The reports of slave labour (Uyghurs and in Brazil) plus the recent tone deaf ad campaign was the final straw. Plus trying to be more conscious re reducing how much ‘fast fashion’ I buy anyway.

Nestle: a history of unethical corporate practices plus including ownership of an Israeli food company with production in OPT.

I can't believe you're actually publicising your support for the BDS!

I'd never heard of them until they were mentioned on the AMA thread.

Love the logo, looks like a crude cartoon of someone farting.

Seen a poster going around on Watsapp about Next.

Proud to support them, as do millions of others.

I havent seen the AMA thread you’re referring to - happy to take a look if you link it.

As for the cartoon, he’s a well known character by a famous Palestinian cartoonist who was assassinated. Unsurprising you don’t know it and would make such crude comments.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naji_al-Ali

I did have to do a double take of the logo image when I first saw it 😂

At first I thought it was a prank logo but apparently someone must have picked it for real

Sorry he was killed but it doesn't stop it being a terrible cartoon drawing to be using. I presume his other cartoons are to a better standard

I'm sure those companies will get by. Plenty of people will still support them when they aren't being harassed while dining etc. Not sure why you had to announce your intentions. 🙄

I use this website;
https://boycott.thewitness.news/browse/1

I check if the brans pop’s up and won’t buy it if it does.
It’s really easy and simple use, everything I buy can be found with other brands and I’ve learned the labels not to buy very quckly actually.

BDS thing in the UK makes me smile. Apparently most people missed the fact Israel helped the UK try to refill its supermarket shelves during covid. After idiots decided to over buy and wipe shelves clean Israel redirected food and products that was meant for them to the UK. Hence if people have looked carefully it suddenly became easier to buy kosher products because the kosher marks and Hebrew writing were on the packaging.

I suppose people BDS fans could have just left their trolleys empty but I think they probably didn't even notice

To start a discussion. perhaps you should reacquaint yourself with the concept of a discussion forum.

My son will be wearing his new Puma hoodie tomorrow. I will be tucking into my M&S hamper while I watch him unwrap his presents.

Merry 🎄

Thanks for sharing, that’s a useful link.

Ok, enjoy. Not sure why you’re bothering to post on a thread that means nothing to you? Go have a mince pie.

That is so helpful thank you @FPNFL I will be adding a lot of these to my personal boycott list.

Do you do any kind of sense check or read the 'Why section' before blindly following this website?

First example I've looked at on there is that people should boycott Unicef. A charity that supports children globally, has publicly called for ceasefire, has called for the release of Israeli hostages, has been supporting children in Gaza since the 80s. Why does the website you're using suggest boycotting them? Because the person in charge of UNICEF is married to the chairman of an investment firm that has invested in weapons development. Not for anything that UNICEF have actually done or not done, but for the possibility that there may be a conflict of interest.

One has to wonder about what has happened to those posters that goad those who want to do whatever they can, where possible, to stop their money supporting actual genocide.

Disclaimer: I do not support any acts of violence or vandalism or boycotting based on religion/ethnicity.

You might want to ally yourself with a different organisation, then.

Despite your personal belief to the contrary, boycotting brands that support/invest/facilitate an illegal occupation is not antisemitism.

Are you also going to stop using your mobile phone - technology originated in Israel, or your medical devices - stents and camera pills to name just a few things or are you just going to pick and choose?

A lot of cancer research and therefore the treatment developed because of it too

you’re being sarcastic but I’ll answer the question genuinely. You’re right that the world is so interconnected that it’s not possible to completely carve out any economic connection.

However where a company has acted overtly in a way or declared a position that I find unethical then, if I can avoid it, I will make a conscious choice not to spend my money there. consumer boycotts for ethical causes are not new and they work best when they’re targeted and not generalized anyway. Reserving a boycott for companies that have more egregious violations, whether it’s human rights, environmental social etc., is more appropriate, especially if their products are considered “non-essential” goods and reasonable alternatives are available.

You should all be buying less goods and stop killing the planet anyway. So buy local wherever you can

However please buy suitable gadgets for your needs and definitely accept cancer treatment offered

Merry Christmas

I just looked up the dead cartoonist, and he seems to have been killed by Yasser Arafat. Days before his murder, he told Palestinian writer Dr. Basem Sarhan, "I entrust you, whoever my killer may be, my killer is Yasser Arafat." In turn, Yasser Arafat was also quoted as saying,"The one whose name is Naji al-Ali, if he continues to paint, I will put his fingers in acid."

It's very interesting to look up the cartoon itself, the Handala, created in 1969 but still "an iconic symbol of Palestinian identity and defiance."

Apparently "The name comes from Citrullus colocynthis (Arabic: حنظل, romanized: Ḥanẓal), a perennial plant local to the region of Palestine which bears a bitter fruit, grows back when cut and has deep roots."

According to Wiki, "Other characters in Al-Ali's cartoons include a thin, miserable-looking man representing the Palestinian as the defiant victim of Israeli oppression and other hostile forces, and a fat man representing the Arab regimes and Palestinian political leaders who led an easy life and engaged in political compromises which the artist fervently opposed."

Sure, that sounds like a recipe for peaceful resolution.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handala

I agree, buy local, or get an allotment. Buy second hand from markets, charity shops, ebay, vinted. Repair, swap, recycle. Better for the planet, your health, your wallet, your local community and you know where your money is going. Don't use chain stores like McDonalds or Starbucks, try your local chippie or cafe instead.