On December 7, more than 140 Palestine solidarity activists and
human rights supporters in Melbourne staged a peaceful BDS action as
part of the "Don't Buy Israeli Apartheid for Christmas" national week
of action around Australia. The Melbourne action was organised by Students for Palestine and supported by the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (Melbourne).
Palestine solidarity activists sang Christmas Carols, which had been
adapted to reflect the situation faced by Palestinians living under
Israeli occupation and apartheid, to encourage Christmas shoppers to
think about the oppressive conditions faced by Palestinians and to
encourage them to join the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in support of the Palestinian people.
Joining the “festive” spirit at Melbourne’s City Square, where a huge
Christmas tree and Nativity setting are located, Palestine solidarity
“carolers” sang a version of “Ode to Joy” and John Lennon’s “So this is
Christmas”. Jeremy Gibson and Patrick Alves from Students for
Palestine noted the similarities between the struggles of the
Palestinian people and the struggle of Indigenous Australian,
acknowledging Aboriginal ownership of the land and giving respect to
Aboriginal elders past and present.
Owen Cosgriff from Students for Palestine also noted that if the
“three wise men” of the Nativity “were to try and follow the star to
Bethlehem in this day and age that they would find themselves detained
at one or multiple checkpoints in the West Bank”. He went on to point
out that this was the lived daily reality for Palestinians who continue
to live under Israel’s brutal military occupation. Cosgriff noted
that the caroling action hoped to highlight that at Christmas time when
many people were out doing their Christmas shopping and there were
songs being sung about peace and good will to everyone, that the
suffering of Palestinians does not stop in the West Bank and Gaza.
Palestine solidarity activists then took their “caroling” to the
streets of the Melbourne CBD, singing renditions of “Little Drummer
Boy” and “I wish you a Merry Christmas”. Outside the Myer Christmas
windows in Bourke Street Mall, Jo Mettam from the Coalition Against
Israeli Apartheid in Melbourne, announced the launch of the group’s new SodaStream BDS campaign, which will commence later this month.
Mettam noted that SodaStream, which is sold widely by many
Australian retailers, is the largest manufacturer, distributor and
marketer of Home Carbonation Systems and has its main production plant
in Mishor Adumim, an industrial zone located in the illegal Israeli
colony of Ma'ale Adumim in the Occupied
West Bank. She went onto
explain that as a settlement factory, SodaStream receives regular tax
benefits/breaks from the Israeli government and employ Palestinians
under exploitative labour conditions.
The peaceful action then made its way to one of the two Max Brenner
Chocolate shops located in Melbourne city. Early this year, in July,
sixteen Palestine solidarity activists who had been arrested at a pro-boycott demonstration outside of Max Brenner in 2011 had charges of“trespassing” and “besetting” dismissed against them. The
solidarity activists had been arrested on July 1, 2011 at a peaceful
protest organised by the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, which
sought to highlight the complicity of the company Max Brenner
Chocolate and its parent company, the Strauss Group, in Israel’s
occupation and apartheid policies.
The Strauss Group, which owns Max Brenner, is one of Israel’s
largest food and beverage companies. On its website, the Strauss Group
has highlighted its support for the Israeli military, providing care
packages, books, games and sports and recreational equipment for
soldiers. In particular, Strauss has boasted of its support for
the Golani and Givati brigades, who have a long record of human rights
abuses against Palestinians and in Lebanon. Both brigades were heavily
involved in Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s 2008-09 assault on the Gaza
Strip, which resulted in the killing of approximately 1,400
Palestinians, including approximately 350 children.
Similar "Don't Buy Israeli Apartheid for Christmas" activities and
solidarity actions will be taking place in Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and
Brisbane as part of the national week of solidarity between 8-15
December.
http://mondoweiss.net/2012/12/australian-activists-dont-buy-israeli-apartheid-for-christmas.html
Monday 17 December 2012
‘Don’t buy Israeli apartheid for Christmas’
Posted @ 16:19
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