Grafton Group plc - stacks of apartheid produce

limerick | irish social forum | news report

Sunday September 02, 2007 20:25

by Sean Clinton - Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign

The Atlantic Homecare outlet on Childers Road, Limerick that earlier this year removed all Israeli produce from its shelves (in response to a protest by the IPSC) now appears to be redoubling its effort to sell as much Israeli made Keter produce as possible to unsuspecting customers. In what appears to be a clear attempt to at least distract, if not completely mislead customers, they have a large poster on a Keter shed with the slogan "Irish Owned - make it Irish make it Atlantic ..."

A selection of Keter products in Atlantic Homecare, Limerick

While one can readily understand why Grafton Group plc would not wish make public its policy of profiteering from trade with an apartheid state it should not seek to hide this fact from its customers and should make it clear that their large stock of Keter ware is manufactured in Israel and not in Ireland as the poster might suggest to a casual observer.

As we approach the 60th anniversary of the adoption by the UN of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms a persons right to own property and to leave and return to their country, the directors of Grafton Group plc http://www.graftonplc.com/directors.html need to consider if their support for the apartheid regime is morally justifiable. In doing so they should consider the following fact, one of the many which discredits the Israeli state and calls into question the moral judgment of anyone who is willing to support such a despicable regime:

Contrary to the oft recited claim, Israel is not a democracy. After the establishment of the Israeli state, 750,000 legal citizens of that state were forced from their homes and farms and their property was illegally confiscated. Today, 60 years later, their numbers swollen to over 4,000,000 and despite a UN resolution confirming their right to return they remain crammed into refugee camps through out the region still denied their inalienable rights by the apartheid regime in Israel.

Mr. Chadwick and his fellow board members I'm sure live in more salubrious conditions than the unfortunate refugees and should consider carefully if trading with a racist regime which this week alone murdered six children (with complete impunity of course) is something their shareholders and customers will continue to support and if this policy is in keeping with with their claim to be a socially responsible corporation. The PCHR report detailing this weeks Israeli crimes against humanity can be found at http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2007/30-...7.htm

Poster on the Keter shed