Fred Fuentes, Sydney | 14 February 2009
Palestine solidarity activists in Sydney have launched a campaign targeting Max Brenner Chocolates, a 100% Israeli-owned company belonging to the Strauss Group, as part of the growing international boycott Israel movement.
The Strauss Group is the second-largest Israeli food and beverage company.
On the “corporate responsibility” section of its website, the Strauss Group emphasises the support it gives to the Israeli killing machine. Highlighting that it wants to “sweeten their special moment” the Strauss Group touts that, for more than 30 years, it has supported the Golani reconnaissance platoon, renowned for its murderous assaults on Palestinian civilians.
During Israel”s recent massacre in Gaza, a Ha”aretz article reported that the Golani platoon operated “in the sector in which the [Israel Defence Force] has seen the toughest battles with Hamas, the eastern part of Gaza City”.
According to the website of Adalah-NY, the Coalition for Justice in the Middle East, Golani has also been involved in previous military operations in Gaza, in the massacres in the Jenin and Tul Karm refugee camps and the siege on Yasser Arafat”s Muqata compound in Ramallah.
It was also directly involved in the 2006 invasion of Lebanon.
Moreover, Adalah-NY reports that in November 2008, in a widely disseminated video, “members of the Golani Brigade filmed themselves forcing a captive, blindfolded Palestinian to sing humiliating songs, some of a sexual nature, and some about the Golani Brigade”.
For these reasons and more, the activists from the boycott working group of the Gaza Defence Committee are calling on people to boycott Max Brenner. Weekly pickets of Max Brenner are being organised every Thursday afternoon, outside its city and Parramatta stores.
The working group is also taking the boycott case to unions and universities in order to help expand the growing global movement to target apartheid Israeli, just as apartheid South Africa was targeted.
To get involved with the Gaza Defence Committee or the boycott working group call Aaron on 0403 879 220.
