Protest urges Boycott of Marks and Spencers in Dublin
dublin |
rights, freedoms and repression |
news report 
Saturday January 24, 2009 17:37
by Breather
A group of anti-zionist activists distributed leaflets and picketed the Liffey Street Marks and Spencer store in central Dublin today. Marks and Spencer's is unusual in that as well as selling Israeli goods, the company has a corporate relationship with the Israeli state.
The response from the majority of people was very positive, with a great many people refusing to pass the picket. After a while the management of M&S called the gardaí, but since there is no crime in leafleting, they left the protesters in peace.
Further pickets are planned for the near future.
Why pick on Marks and Spencer's?
Because the shop has a corporate relationship with Israel. In a book on M&S, Lord Marcus Sieff - long time Chairman of M&S - wrote that one of the fundamental objectives of M&S is to aid the economic development of Israel (Management: The Marks & Spencer Way, Weidenfield & Nicolson, 1990). Sieff was on the board of Marks and Spencer's until 2001, and there is no reason to assume his views are not still held by current management.
Why a boycott on this issue and not on many other human rights abuses around the world?
Because boycotting is not an end in itself, it is just a tactic. Israel is vulnerable to boycott because it is a small trade dependent nation- a boycott might actually work.
Are all Israeli goods clearly marked? No. If there is no country of origin marked then assume that it is Israeli. Ask the store management, and look out for barcodes beginning with 729.
Are there positive steps that you can take as well as boycotting?
Contact the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Committee www.ipsc.ie
Donate to the British Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for Gaza. The DEC was formed in 1963. It is an umbrella organisation for 13 humanitarian aid agencies who work together for major emergencies.
Its members are: ActionAid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care International, Christian Aid, Concern, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision. You can donate here:
https://www.donate.bt.com/bt_form_gaza.html
Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4has INDYMEDIA actually -ASKED- M&S about their position about any support for Israel in relation to statements made by a board member in a book published in 1990? to go on things said in 1990 is hardly a strong back-up argument to topical world news in 2009!
give us the current FACTS about the M&S position (if any) on Israel please.
An M&S spokesperson explicitly confirmed that "We are as close to Israel as we have ever been" (Jewish Chronicle, 22 December 2000).
It's hard to get a more recent quote, and the compnay don't respond to letters or emails. Recently of course Marks and Spencer have had plenty of opportunity to put the record straight if their relationship with Israel has changed.
However, their only response to protests, so far, has been to call the police and try to get protesters removed.
One might say the same is even more true of the Zionists claim to Palestine based on a 2000+ year-old text!
By extension of your rationale the Zionists have no right to be there.
Thanks for proving our point.
Boycott the criminal state of Israel!
Seeing some grapefruits on sale without any country of origin marked in Tesco's at the weekend (the one in Drumcondra, near Bertie's office) we checked the boxes of fruit nearby. Underneath boxes of lemons from Spain were the boxes from the grapefruits with the telltale label.
Please consider taking a moment to write to Tesco to complain about their continued support for the Israeli actions in Palestine. The least they could do is clearly label ALL their Israeli produce.
Tesco Drumcondra
22 Upper Drumcondra Road
Dublin 9
customer.services@tesco.ie
Tesco Drumcondra Dublin 9
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