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 think the killing of thousands of children is something to shout about.

Are you serious? It's because most of the dead are civilians, not Hamas. This is what happens when you bomb indiscriminately, and target civilians.

So very roughly it's 30% men, 30% women and 40% children.

You never see percentages like this in wars. It's outrageous.

Here's a link with some of the breakdowns:

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67764664.amp

Are you serious? It's because most of the dead are civilians, not Hamas.

Are you saying that most men are Hamas rather than civilian?

No? I'm saying most of the dead are civilian.

I have no idea how many Hamas are dead. If you have an independently verified figure please share.

Couldn't edit my post but this analysis has it at 24% women and 35% men between 14 and 60 years old.

34% children under 14 😭

I think I have said before I don't actually disagree with boycotting brands or organisations if you feel passionately about something. I myself have actually stopped using various different companies or brands for political reasons because they don't sit comfortably with my beliefs

If people don't want to buy Israeli then that is fine by me, not that I get to police these things. My point is some of the illogical boycotting of some brands that barely have a connection, the boycotting of companies that employee people in the west bank (So risking jobs) and some people that obviously are just using the boycotting as fad /liking harassing people but not actually boycotting brands themselves. I believe I posted before saying by all means boycott but do research first etc and don't just go off a list on some boycotting site.

(Plus I do tend to post things I find amusing or hypocritical on that are connected to different topics on various threads. So you will have to just ignore me doing that to highlight my points such as above. Sorry about that)

Just a general heads up if articles or whatever is copy/paste uses the words Zionist or Zionism without it directly being a discussion about Zionism itself then people should probably just not use that source. Anyone writing and replacing the words Jew, Jewish, Israeli or Israeli government with Zionist/Zionism is a bad faith actor at best. Therefore has discredited themselves instantly, so don't them for information unless you agree with the use of prejudiced language or don't mind the possibility of racist bias being part of their evidence etc

I don't know all the details of this but I think their policy is similar to my work place

We are not allowed to express political or religious views to stake holders. This goes every further in that we cannot use work emails, the trust logo or anything like that to promote are personal views or opinions. These things are for official work purposes only

Surely the staff broke their own employment rules and it doesn't matter why or the cause, the consequences would likely be the same

As I said I have not read the details of this case but that is the impression have got from what I have read. Is there something extra I am missing here?

Why don't you ask the AI the IDF use to target buildings and obliterate them based on a traffic light system?

So if you don't know how many are Hamas then you've no idea how many of the dead are civilians.

It seems that some posters think every death in Gaza is an innocent civilian

A career in MI6 beckons many mumsnetters

@Fynetanksfather how would I be able to do that? Who do you think I am? I was just asking a question sorry if it's hit a raw nerve.

Your ignorance is funny if it wasn't so callous and tragic. Are you suggesting the huge number of deaths are legitimate?

"Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), recalled that women and girls pay the highest price when armed conflict erupts. Since 7 October, when Hamas fighters attacked Israel, 67 per cent of the more than 14,000 people killed in Gaza are estimated to be women and children. “That is two mothers killed every hour and seven women every two hours,” she said. “We mourn them all.”
Every day, 180 women are giving birth without water, painkillers, anaesthesia for Caesarean sections, electricity for incubators or medical supplies, she said. Mothers, meanwhile, mix baby formula with contaminated water — when they find it — and go without food so that their children can live another day. “Women in Gaza have told us that they pray for peace, but that if peace does not come, they pray for a quick death, in their sleep, with their children in their arms,” she said. “It should shame us all that any mother, anywhere, has such a prayer."

https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15503.doc.htm

Are you saying the majority of women and children killed are Hamas or that all the men killed are Hamas? Or what?

Well I'd hazard a guess that none of the children are Hamas, and most of the women arent either. I don't know about the men but judging by the numbers of women and children killed we can surmise that a lot of them are civilians too.

Sneering about the deaths of thousands of people is disgusting and immature, by the way.

Perhaps the people of Gaza should have thought first before electing a terrorist organisation into government.

How on earth did they expect it to play out?

Tell me how don’t you know anything about Gaza and it’s politics without telling me you don’t know anything about Gaza.

nice to see that another thread has been derailed.

Didn't take long. I despair at these posters lack of empathy or basic humanity.

To get your thread back on track an image of list of things to boycott that I was sent

Seriously not to bothered about most on there but Pringles!!!!!

(Plus like I have said if you are going to boycott do your own research because some of these brands employ Palestinians and some really don't have much of a link to Israel from what I can see. The use of the word Zionist should be a massive red flag about the kind of people that made this list too)

Tape on photo to see full image

That was the lot upthread who want the eradication of Israel.

https://boycott.thewitness.news/search/Rocher
I find this website good and it tells you the reason so might help people to decide what they want to boycott.

Good evening Giraffe

Surely not

I mean doesn't sound at all like any of the posters on the conflict board. I think you must be mistaken etc etc etc

@noblegiraffe

wanting peace for Palestine is not the same as wanting the eradication of Israel. Although I guess it suits your agenda to spread the propaganda that this is what pro Palestine posters want

It seems to me that many posters supporting Israel would rather see the continuation of the oppression of Palestinians than consider any alternative, even an alternative that allows BOTH Israelis and Palestinians to live freely and with human rights.

Spot on..
Though these posters might get a bit confused. What oppression? Didn't all this start on October 7? And the classic what about Hamas?

Though we shouldn't encourage the derail...