Sainsbury’s:
End your support for Israeli War crimes
- June 27th: Day of action at Sainsbury’s stores
- June 2th - July 3rd: social media protests
- Wednesday July 8th: Sainsbury’s AGM: ‘End your support for war crimes’
BACKGROUND:
We are calling for actions in the two weeks leading up to Sainsbury’s AGM on 8th July. At the AGM itself we will tell Sainsbury’s Board and its shareholders what we think of their values. These are our messages, in solidarity with thousands of Palestinian farming communities:
The
reality is that Sainsbury’s claim to be a company concerned with
ethics has been exposed as a complete sham. Sainsbury’s came next
to bottom in a recent survey completed by the respected magazine,
‘Ethical Consumer’ and the last two years have seen Sainsbury’s
board treating the concerns of thousands of consumers with thinly
veiled contempt. It has ignored thousands of letters, hundreds of
protests at its stores, letters from MPs, MEPs, SMPs, religious
leaders and academics, and a petition with over 8,000 signatures
handed in at the 2014 AGM by a member of the House of Lords.
At
the 2013 and 2014 AGMs, questions from shareholders have not received
the courtesy of a proper answer or any sort of follow up. Sainsbury’s
has even refused a direct request for a meeting from an MEP.
Sainsbury’s
has positioned itself alongside the list of companies whose
complicity directly and indirectly supports the commission of war
crimes by Israel. Sainsbury’s has repeatedly refused to discuss the
fact that they trade with Mehadrin, an Israeli export company which
profits from the wholesale theft of land from Palestinian farms, the
decimation of Palestinian farming communities and the expropriation
of water for profit.
Sainsbury’s
clearly has no interest in hearing what Palestinians have to tell
them about the destruction of their farms and the loss of their land.
Sainsbury’s has also ignored reports by Human Rights Watch,
Corporate Watch and Kav LaOved which have documented the abuses of
Palestinian workers who work in the settlements out of necessity.
Let
us send Sainsbury’s a clear message this year and make sure that
local shoppers, store managers, the shareholders and the Board of
Sainsbury’s all hear about the role Sainsbury’s plays in
supporting Israeli companies complicit in war crimes.
THE
CALL TO ACTION
:
SAINSBURY’S:
YOU ARE SUPPORTING THE ETHNIC CLEANSING OF THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIAN
FARMING FAMILIES;
SAINSBURY’S:
YOU MAY NOT BE FIRING BULLETS, BUT YOU SUPPORT WAR CRIMES EVERY DAY
WITH YOUR IMMORAL TRADE WITH ISRAEL.
JOIN
THE ACTIONS:
Friday
June 29th
– Friday July 3rd:
- Social media actions targeting Sainsbury’s: Phone in; Twitter storm; Facebook campaign, Thunderclap
Saturday
June 27th:
- Day of action at Sainsbury’s stores: Sainsbury’s end your support for Israel’s War Crimes
Suggested
actions: (In all cases, try to take photos/recordings)
- Trolley sweep, collecting Israeli produce in trolleys and then leaving the trolleys in some corner of the store away from their original location. Put leaflets on top.
- Message drop: take the small messages (attached) into Sainsbury’s and place them here and there among the goods (not necessarily fresh produce).
- Make a deputation to the Manager. Go in as a group and refuse to leave till you have spoken to the Manager. Have a letter to hand over.
- Singing sit-down in store. There are some songs specifically about Sainsbury’s and there’s something disarming about people singing. Bring a banner, as big as possible.
- Write to the local press about your action. Try to have a photo to send with your report.
Wednesday
8th
July:
- Protest at Sainsbury’s AGM: ‘Sainsbury’s End your support for Israel’s war crimes. If you are interested in attending the AGM as an activist shareholder we have a number of shares available. We aim to have a highly visible presence at the AGM.
We
will ensure that the voices of Palestinians are heard - loud and
clear - at Sainsbury’s AGM.
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