Home » Other » Consumer Boycott » New Yorkers Visit Max Brenner, Ricky's, Aroma Espresso Bar With Boycott Message
New Yorkers Visit Max Brenner, Ricky's, Aroma Espresso Bar With Boycott Message
SINGING AGAINST SIEGE, BELLOWING FOR BOYCOTT
NEW YORKERS VISIT MAX BRENNER, RICKY'S, AROMA ESPRESSO BAR WITH BOYCOTT MESSAGE
New York, NY – As the MV Rachel Corrie, the second half of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, was towed into the Israeli port of Ashdod after another attempt to break Israel's siege on Gaza, 100 New Yorkers marched through the streets of Manhattan, south of Union Square. Heeding the Palestinian civil society call for intensifying boycott and sanctions against Israel in the wake of this week's Freedom Flotilla massacre,the marchers chanted, sang songs and performed poetry outside three locations targeted for boycott.
Max Brenner Cafe, which was recently the target of a banner drop, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Strauss Group, an Israeli food conglomerate that supports the Golani Brigades, an Israeli army unit with a history of severe human rights violations.
"We hope to show New Yorkers that they have the power and responsibility to stop Israel's human rights abuses," said organizer Hannah Mermelstein. "If governments fail to hold Israel accountable, civil society must place pressure to force Israel to respect law and human rights."
Protests were held around the world today as part of a Global Day of Action for BDS in response to Israel's raid on the Freedom Flotilla, which left at least 9 dead, including one American citizen, and dozens wounded. The day also marked the 43rd anniversary of the illegal Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The boycott movement has been growing since the unified Palestinian call of 2005, which aims to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law of which the attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla was but one example.
UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Richard Falk, stated on Monday, "The worldwide campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel is now a moral and political imperative, and needs to be supported and strengthened everywhere.”
