Belfast's March to Boycott
Crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Having violated United Nations resolutions and the Laws of War and Occupation as stated in the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel seemingly pays no heed to international humanitarian law. Palestinians have seen their homes reduced to debris and their infrastructure destroyed in a way that is painful to watch, let alone endure. As an onlooker, the world to me seems utterly Orwellian. Online platforms are censoring the footage of Gaza, peaceful protests are being labelled 'hate marches' and restrictions on Boycott Sanction Divestments (BDS) are enforced. Many people in power fail to show humanity, evidenced by the West Minister's refusal to call for a ceasefire. In defiance of institutional efforts to silence Palestinian supporters, protesters in Belfast rallied on November 18. A protest pamphlet titled "Boycott Genocide" read "Take a stand and raise your voice for the people of Palestine".
A boycott constitutes a non-violent protest accessible to everyone, involving the refusal to purchase, interact with, or engage in any transactions with a company, organisation, or country. It operates to reduce global backing for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and to exert enough pressure on Israel to make it adhere to international law. You may have encountered the extensive lists of companies shared on Instagram and other social media platforms. While they come from a good heart, they can be counterproductive as it is sometimes difficult to verify the company's role in the Israeli war crimes, making the allegations ineffective.
Instead, targeted boycotts have been historically successful strategies inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the US Civil Rights Movement, and the Indian anti-colonial struggle, among other global campaigns. The trick of a targeted boycott is to focus on a small number of carefully chosen businesses and products for maximum impact.
These boycotts are also less taxing on the individual as less of your time will be spent deciphering what is and is not boycotted. The main targets of the UK boycott are HP, Puma, AXA, and Barclays. These companies have been selected based on evidence of their role in Israeli crimes. It is crucial to note that the targeted boycott list is country-sensitive and therefore, varies based on your location. I have condensed this explanation in the interests of brevity however more information can be found at https://bdsmovement.net.
The procession in Belfast commenced at Writer's Square. Mothers Against Genocide, a newly founded group, could be seen holding multiple clotheslines of baby-grows. The tiny all-in-ones had heart-shaped plaques attached, detailing the names and ages of some of the victims from the attacks on Gaza. Many stated, "Under 1". A representative of the group informed the crowd that the babies' names only represented the reported deaths of babies up until November 06 due to the rapidly increased death rate. Musician John Garrity was busking on the street of Donegall Place as the crowd walked towards the City Hall. He sang So Strong by Labi Siffre.
"The more you refuse to hear my voice, the louder I will sing".
The lyrics were pertinent as they blended with the chants "Ceasefire now".
The march passed Starbucks on Royal Avenue. A group of protesters had stationed themselves outside the café with a banner stating, "Boycott Starbucks", due to the company's profiteering from Israel's crimes. People also stalled their protests outside of McDonald's, condemning its donation of free meals to the Israeli military. Meanwhile, a different segment of the march gave a round of applause when passing O’Neill’s sportswear shop. They cheered in appreciation of the company’s recent decision to remove Puma-branded products from its shelves and online store. Beginning in 2018, Puma has been one of the targets of the BDS global movement against Israel. Puma is the leading international sponsor of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which operates in illegal Israeli settlements on land stolen from the Palestinians. In doing so, the settlers pushed the Palestinian people off their ground, stole natural resources like water and vegetation, and denied Palestinians the ability to move around their town freely. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign criticised Puma, as one of the world's top athletic brands, for lending legitimacy to the IFA and helping sustain the infrastructure of illegal Israeli settlements. Boycott tactics are not simply oppositional. As they aim to weaponise the profit motive it is crucial to demonstrate support for those, like O’Neill’s, who have removed Israeli products from their shelves. Another local example of a business that has taken an ethical stance is Seven Coffee, a café on Glen Road, which has excluded Coca-Cola from its menu. The final speaker at the protest pleaded for consumers to adhere to boycotting whilst Christmas shopping, concluding the march, "Santa boycotts genocide".
Edited by David Williamson
Holly Lennon is an MA Literary Studies student and a Boxing Columnist for The Scoop