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.

@sailingdriving

have seen this with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The Red Cross, Al Jazeera, United Nations, BDS founder or countries or PMs that are critical of Israeli govt and so on in an endless list.

For most of those I think the Criticism is valid. I agree others not so much though.

Are you going to answer this, @Desertrose2023 ? This is your thread, your call to boycott.

I just think it's quite telling when there's a pattern of tearing apart or attempting to delegitimise every single individual or organisation that speaks out. It is even here on this thread.

Not that I am saying all that criticism is always wrong but that the people tearing apart never address what those people are actually saying, just tear them apart.

It just feels like censorship to me.

@sailingdriving I don't think that's true actually. I can tell you why most specifically have an issue with those companies/ charities/ people you list and 'some pm's' is not specific.

I haven't got an issue with anyone having valid Criticisms of Israel and there are some to be had but they need to come from a place on non bias and non agenda.

Which I am afraid some of those do not.

@stomachameleon I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree.

Are you personally perfect? Does that mean your criticisms and experience should be automatically invalid?

For example let's take Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and so on - they do so much good work. To write off everything they say seems iffy to me.

When you find yourself railing against human rights organisations like Amnesty or whatever surely you have to wonder a bit. Or at the very least address their criticism.

Otherwise it just seems like an extreme form of cancel culture or censorship.

But I respect your right to disagree. And that is all I will say.

Would you then say, conversely, that support for Israel also needs to come from a place of non bias/non agenda?

If yes then that is also somewhat problematic as the majority of support for Israel (I have seen) appears to come from those who are openly Zionists - whether Jewish or Evangelical Christian or other denominations who believe in Zionism for their own reasons and their own agenda. Eg in the case of evangelism, for many they support Israel to suit the agenda that they believe it will precipitate the second coming of Christ.

By your logic does that mean their support should not carry any weight or should be discredited ? I am asking genuinely btw this is not an attempt to goad.

The pattern is caused by people posting links or articles from organisations or media that have made it clear there aim is the dismantled of Israel. There are organisations that promote peace and fight for the rights of Gazens not by twisting the truth or editing videos to look like something they are not. If you choose to link to campaigns or organisations that are iffy people will call them and you out on it.

You can easily boycott businesses or organisations that back the Israeli government without following a list from some iffy campaign. However you chose to promote the iffy stuff. It is as simple as that.

@Trulywonderful could you please send me some links to these "non-iffy" organisations you are referring to?

Would love to know what is deemed suitable in your opinion.

I'd also like to add that some of the organisations people posted above attempting to discredit BDS did not appear to be free from controversy themselves (see earlier in the thread for one example). So it definitely works both ways.

@noblegiraffe respectfully, please refrain from the personal attacks. If a poster chooses not to engage it might be to do with feeling harrassed. I note you've tried to ask for a response several times. And when the other posters don't reply you leave a disrespectful comment about "brains falling out".

Thank you. I will personally not be responding to any posts moving forward that I believe are not being asked in good faith or are attempts to goad. The ultimate response from that poster, despite my silence, reaffirmed that was the right decision for me.

I asked anyone who is boycotting Starbucks to respond. There were plenty about at the start of the thread.

I'm angry that people are being called upon to boycott a company and that people are being intimidated in the streets, shops are being vandalised and presumably shop workers are losing wages based on a totally bullshit reason. That people are being lied to.

I don't need any company to discredit BDS for me, they have totally discredited themselves with their dishonesty.

I wasn't expecting a response, btw. I know exactly why not.

both your messages were directed @Desertrose2023 with that poster's name quoted.

@Desertrose2023 given that you are encouraging people to boycott Starbucks in your OP, what do you make of the post celebrating the Hamas bulldozer that appears to have kicked it off?

Are you going to answer this, @Desertrose2023 ? This is your thread, your call to boycott.

This one.

thanks for confirming. I guess those ones weren't directed @Desertrose2023 then after all.

I dont think this is boycotting but Ben and Jerry's will no longer be operating or selling their products in the occupied territories.

This is from the faq's on their website explaining why
We’re a values-led company with a long history of advocating for human rights, and economic and social justice. We believe it is inconsistent with our values for our product to be present within an internationally recognised illegal occupation.

The full FAQ for anyone who is interested
https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/media-center/opt-statement

According to a Washington Post article it looks like the Israeli economy is heading towards catastrophe:

• "government spending and borrowing have soared, tax revenue has plummeted and credit ratings could take a hit"

• "the impact on Israel’s high-tech sector — the engine of the economy — is sobering"

- "Israel is spending treasure deploying more than 220,000 reservists into battle on average over the past three months and subsidizing their salaries. Many of these reservists are high-tech workers..."

- Israel "is also supporting 200,000 evacuees who have been displaced from Israeli villages along the Gaza border and the northern border with Lebanon"

- "tourism has flatlined"

- "construction, which ordinarily relies on Palestinian labor from the West Bank, has ground to a near-halt"

- "exports are down across the board"

- "reserve duty, displacement and knock-on effects of the war have idled as many as 20 percent of Israeli workers"

Article is behind a paywall, so I cut and paste a summary from a tweet.

What this does point to is that along with the problems listed by the WP the effects of a boycott right now will be deeply felt.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/31/gaza-war-costs-israel-economy/

Hi @Parkingt111 this was a principled decision taken by the founders. Unfortunately the company’s owner Unilever has an agreement with the local entity in Israel so it’s still sold there

Here’s the update @Parkingt111

https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/15/unilever-ben-and-jerrys-ice-cream-israel-west-bank

@Desertrose2023 yes I did see that sorry if this was the wrong thread to post. I think it was more to take a ethical stance against the occupation of the territories

thank you for sharing. Hopefully the collective economic pressure of all of this, including any contribution (even small) boycotts play, will shorten the conflict as much as possible.

this bit in particular is quite concerning. Having seen some of the behaviours of the IDF over the past 3 months, the assumption would be the reservists carrying out operations are mostly young, immature and uneducated. If many are actually well educated/highly skilled tech professionals then it makes some of their actions even harder to fathom.

- "Israel is spending treasure deploying more than 220,000 reservists into battle on average over the past three months and subsidizing their salaries. Many of these reservists are high-tech workers..."