#BoycottMickey
by C.A. Matthews
From
Mickey Mouse (Disney) to MickeyD’s (McDonald’s), Palestine will be free!
I’m
just back from a cold—but very effective—protest for Peace
in Palestine. We marched several blocks along
a heavily trafficked city street to
an Interstate highway crossing where
the most intrepid activists among
us hung
a large
banner
over the side of
the bridge for
a couple of hours. The
remainder of us held
our picket signs and chanted
at that
very busy (and noisy) intersection at
the highway entrance.
I was amazed at the positive response we
received from
the public. I
was very
heartened by the physical and spiritual toughness of my fellow
protesters marching and chanting under such
frigid
and damp
conditions, too.
Protesting is a big challenge for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere in
the winter
months.
How do we continue to
send
the message to
our elected officials that
we demand
a permanent ceasefire and that
we
want Israel out of Gaza now
without
doing
peace
demos and marches in
below freezing temperatures?
Activists
are a creative lot, and we know there
are other ways of making our voices heard that don’t involve
standing around in the cold. One of the oldest and most effective
protest methods is the boycott. This week’s guest blog, by
our resident historian
Coast Watcher, gives us a brief history of the boycott.
So,
what
businesses
should
we as
North Americans currently
focus our boycott on to
help the cause of the Palestinian people? The “big three” that
are feeling the pain of Pro-Palestine consumers boycotting their
products are McDonald’s, Starbucks, and the Disney Company.
It’s
not too hard for those of us standing on the side of Palestine to
avoid giving them our
business. Who really needs fast food, overpriced coffee and insipid entertainment?
“Misinformation”
about McDonald’s support for Israel is having a “meaningful
impact” on its sales in the Middle East, the fast food restaurant’s
chief executive has said according
to an article in the Telegraph.
It’s not really
“misinformation”
that McDonald’s openly
supplied food to the Israeli Defense Forces after they launched their
genocidal
campaign in Gaza. This action has angered many in mostly Muslim
countries where their restaurants have been forced to shut down. Is
it any wonder that a worldwide boycott of McDonald’s restaurants is
hurting their bottom line? They’re learning the hard way that being
pro-genocide isn’t good for business.
I
was amazed that even trade publications have made note of the
effectiveness
of Pro-Palestinian/anti-genocide
boycotts. From The
Drum:
Gauging
appetite for boycotts among the crowds at a pro-Palestine protest
organized by If Not Now, Jewish Voice for Peace Los Angeles, and the
Arab-American Civic Council, The Drum heard from 33-year-old
Palestinian-American activist Zainab about why she is no longer
buying pro-Israel brands. “I am a Palestinian; my grandparents were
expelled in the 1948 Nakba, so I have grown up seeing the oppression.
I not only stand for Palestinians; I stand for all humanity. I stand
for Black Lives Matter, I stood against the wall suppressing Mexican
rights, and I do not stand for the killing in Sudan or Congo. I am
not going to stop protesting, whether it is monetarily against brands
and companies or going out in the streets every weekend.”
--from As activists boycott pro-Israel brands, what should marketers do next?
Yeah,
even marketers know that being linked to Israel is the
kiss of death for capitalists. We must keep up the pressure by
spreading the names of these pro-Israeli businesses to boycott in all our social
media posts and through good old-fashioned word of mouth.
By
December 2023, pro-Israeli
Starbucks
losses
stood
at $11
billion during the last quarter. Starbucks
had already been under a
lot of pressure
financially
due to its
closing stores where unions were forming and
employee
strikes for better working conditions,
so the
further
boycotting of their products will really
send a message that when Starbucks hurts one of us—or one
people such as the Palestinians—it will feel our pain in its CEO’s pocketbook.
Besides, in blindfolded taste tests most coffee drinkers say they
prefer other less expensive brands of coffee. So, do yourself and your
wallet a favor—boycott Starbucks and learn how to brew your own coffee instead.
The
Disney
Company
acts amazed as to why their donations to Israel along with their
producing an upcoming Marvel movie featuring an apartheid-loving
Israeli superhero would be upsetting to so many people worldwide.
From their own publication, Inside the Magic:
The
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)
movement leads the most prominent pro-Palestine boycotts. They
recommend consumer boycotts of companies like Sodastream and HP but
suggest “pressure” on bigger corporations that are harder to
avoid– like Disney.
Still,
many former fans feel boycotting...Walt Disney World Resort is the
right thing to do. Former Disney
cast member and
TikTok creator Helen Jane (@helenjp1313) shifted her content because
The Walt Disney Company donated to Israel. She recommends
a
Disney Parks boycott....Weeks ago, Disneyland Resort thousands
protested at
the
theme park in support of Palestine.
I
don’t
know about you, but I can think of much
better
places to go on vacation besides the soulless,
overly commercialized
fakeness
of Disney World. Visiting pristine
mountains and beaches come to mind. And can we live without watching
the latest Marvel motion picture? Yes, we can. Boycotting the Marvel
movie,
along with protesting any theaters that dare show it, will definitely
get the message across that pro-genocide supporters' products aren’t wanted in
decent society.
So,
tell your friends today to avoid or keep
avoiding
these brands and the brands listed at BDSMovement.net. Why? Because boycotts
work.
Boycotts
Work
by Coast Watcher
Starbucks
CEO Laxman Narasimhan recently complained that sales figures for the
coffee store giant had plummeted following the boycott of their
products due to the chain’s support for Israeli genocide. For many
who’ve always advocated the use of boycotts to punish businesses
for their social
infractions
this is proof that the tactic works.
The
origin of the term stems from Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott, a
retired British army officer. In 1873 he became manager for the
County Mayo, Ireland, estates of absentee landlord the Earl of Erne.
Absentee landlords were the bane of the rural Irish people. They
reaped vast profits from their estates throughout Ireland, often
without even setting foot there.
In
1879 bad harvests threatened another famine like that of 1845-49. A
Land League formed to prevent it occurring. The League told Boycott
to reduce rents by 25% to help the rural people weather the
situation. In response Boycott attempted to serve eviction notices,
which was historically a typical act of the landed class of the time.
Previously there had been little
that
could be done to stop such measures, but late nineteenth century
Ireland had learned a thing or two.
President
of the Land League, Charles Stewart Parnell, urged tenants faced with
Boycott’s and other landlords’ eviction
demands
to avoid any communication with those who refused to lower rents.
Boycott
himself was the primary target for the measure, and it worked. Scab
laborers guarded by the military and even the soldiers themselves
were employed to harvest crops. The situation led to questions in the
British Parliament, leading
to a Land Act of 1881 that instituted fair-rent tribunals.
Boycott
remained agent for the Earl of Erne until 1886 when he took new
employment in the county of Suffolk, England. Parnell of course went
on to become a major player in Irish political affairs until his
death in October 1891.
Ever since that time the tactic of
boycotting has been used effectively by people who have few other
resources of reprisal against authority. By showing their displeasure
at their governments’ and businesses’ impositions, the ordinary
public can hurt them where it really counts—their bottom line. So
it is happening with Starbucks and other businesses that back or
support the genocidal Zionist regime in any way, shape or form.
Boycotts work.
Bio: Coast Watcher believes in putting your money where your morals are...Or at least not spending your money at businesses that support a country openly committing a genocide like Israel is doing. If a business is okay with murdering children, how can you trust them to not put cancer-causing chemicals in your coffee or Big Mac?
Related Articles and Interesting Links
Act Now Against These Companies Profiting from the Genocide of the Palestinian People https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide
Israel-Palestine News --from Diverse Sources
https://us11.forward-to-friend.com/forward/show?u=70b9fc567465118fa0b7b6e67&id=687f13dad7
A day in the life of a mother and child in Gaza https://mondoweiss.net/2023/12/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-mother-and-child-in-gaza/
CNN And Washington Post Busted For Pro-Israel Propaganda Shenanigans https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/cnn-and-washington-post-busted-for
There’s Great Power in Grief. Will We Use It to Fuel Solidarity With Palestine? https://truthout.org/articles/theres-great-power-in-grief-will-we-use-it-to-fuel-solidarity-with-palestine/
We Are Entirely Too Close To Another Major War In The Middle East https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/we-are-entirely-too-close-to-another
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As US Backs Gaza Genocide, 'Grassroots Diplomats' Rally Support for South Africa Case https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/gaza-genocide-south-africa
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International Coalition Forms To Demand End To Genocide In Palestine https://popularresistance.org/international-coalition-forms-to-demand-end-to-genocide-in-palestine/
Blood Money: The Top Ten Politicians Taking the Most Israel Lobby Cash https://www.mintpressnews.com/blood-money-top-ten-politicians-taking-most-israel-money-israel-lobby/286491/
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South Africa is standing up to the world's apartheid state
https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/south-africa-is-standing-up-to-the
US Admonishes Israeli Officials For Saying The Quiet Part Out Loud About Ethnic Cleansing https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/us-admonishes-israeli-officials-for
They're Calling Ethnic Cleansing "Voluntary Migration" Now
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/theyre-calling-ethnic-cleansing-voluntary
I Don't Care What Religion The Genocidal Child Murderers Are
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/i-dont-care-what-religion-the-genocidal
‘I Cannot Be Quietly Complicit’: Biden Official Resigns Over Gaza Assault https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/04/i-cannot-be-quietly-complicit-biden-official-resigns-over-gaza-assault/
Biden Ukraine Statement Highlights Hypocrisy on Gaza
https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-gaza
Blinken Again Bypasses US Congress To Send Munitions To Israel https://popularresistance.org/blinken-again-bypasses-us-congress-to-send-munitions-to-israel/
US Congress: ‘We Stand With Genocide’ https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/01/us-congress-we-stand-with-genocide/
Ohio State University Suspends Student Group for Supporting Palestine https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/05/ohio-state-university-suspends-student-group-for-supporting-palestine/
5 Largest Oil Giants Expect Shareholder Payouts to Exceed $100 Billion for 2023 https://truthout.org/articles/5-largest-oil-giants-expect-shareholder-payouts-to-exceed-100-billion-for-2023/
TORTURE AT ABU GHRAIB https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/torture-at-abu-ghraib
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From Prison, Assange Expresses Regret That WikiLeaks Can No Longer Expose War Crimes https://thedissenter.org/assange-regrets-wikileaks-can-no-longer-expose-war-crimes/
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