Boycott SodaStream action at White Plains Walmart, 275 Main St, White Plains, NY 10601 across from City Center Mall and next to City Hall
You are all aware that SodaStream has announced that it will move from the industrial zone of the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’aleh Adumin . This decision follows a concerted international BDS campaign and a noteworthy tanking of the company’s stocks. SodaStream denies any relationship between its decision and the boycott. We know better.
Meanwhile, at the corporate level, Macy’s, which we targeted locally last December and in July, has taken SodaStream off its shelves.
Our work is not finished. First, the move has not yet happened. Second, SodaStream is moving to the Negev with significant Israeli government subsidies to assist it and forcibly displaced and re-located Bedouin population available as an essentially captive work force. Land theft, exploitation of labor, and discrimination against the local population will continue if we let up the pressure.
Locally we are shifting our focus to Walmart, which still sells SodaStream. A de-shelving at a second major corporation would send a crucial signal to SodaStream and to other firms that participate in denying Palestinians their basic human rights: oppression will be met with nonviolent resistance.
Join us on Saturday, December 13, from noon – 1 p.m. We will be singing seasonal songs with an anti-SodaStream, pro-Palestinian-rights theme , holding signs to make our message visible, and leafleting passers-by to explain why a boycott of Sodastream participates in a noble historical tradition that contributed to overturning Jim Crow and apartheid in South Africa. We are hoping to recruit some dancers for a traditional Palestinian debke interlude.
National JVP is planning a Burst the Bubble Hannukah Week of Action Dec. 16-24. We will help launch this campaign.
We need people to sing, people to make signs, people to engage with passers-by around the leaflets, and people to dance (you can learn). If you can help with any of these things, please reply to this email.
And please come. To make a meaningful statement, we need to field a significant presence on December 13 in front of Walmart in White Plains.
In solidarity, JVP-Westchester
November 18, 2014
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, Dec. 13, noon – 1 p.m.
November 1, 2014
The Swedish government officially recognized the state of Palestine
The Swedish government officially recognized the state of Palestine on Thursday and said there were signs other European Union states would follow its lead.
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom told reporters her government hoped it would bring a new dynamic to efforts to end decades of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Our decision comes at a critical time because over the last year we have seen how the peace talks have stalled, how decisions over new settlements on occupied Palestinian land have complicated a two-state solution and how violence has returned to Gaza,” she said.
October 30, 2014
SodaStream to move factory out of West Bank Israeli settlement
The decision by the company, which sells its fizzy drinks maker in 45 countries, to move the plant to Lehavim in Israel’s southern Negev region was for “purely commercial” reasons and not connected to pressure from pro-Palestinian groups over its location, said SodaStream representative Nirit Hurwitz.
The actor Scarlett Johansson got caught up in a high-profile row over the factory earlier this year after agreeing to serve as SodaStream’s global brand ambassador – drawing fire from Oxfam, where she previously had a similar role.
The Hollywood star then cut ties with the charity, citing “a fundamental difference of opinion”. Oxfam opposes all trade from Israeli settlements, saying they are illegal and deny Palestinian rights.
“SodaStream’s announcement … shows that the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement is increasingly capable of holding corporate criminals to account for their participation in Israeli apartheid and colonialism,” said Rafeef Ziadah, a spokesperson.
“[The] BDS campaign pressure has forced retailers across Europe and North America to drop SodaStream, and the company’s share price has tumbled in recent months as our movement has caused increasing reputational damage to the SodaStream brand.”
October 28, 2014
Let's keep the pressure up!
Yesterday, we visited 14 different stores near Union Square and asked them to stop selling SodaStream. At some, we spoke with managers who were receptive and said they would talk with the owners. At others, we were told there was a store policy not to discuss politics. At all, they now know that people are upset that they are selling SodaStream.
Let's keep the pressure up! This week, go to stores in your neighborhood and let them know that you want them to stop selling SodaStream. Give the owner or manager this letter (sign it from you or Adalah-NY), and then let us know how your visit went . You can use this to help you take notes to later send to us. For more information about SodaStream and why we're boycotting, see our SodaStream Fact Sheet.
Stores visited on Sunday include Staples, Bed Bath & Beyond, P.C. Richard & Son, Best Buy, Brickman's Ace Hardware, K Mart, Basics Plus, and Whisk. Let's visit more of those stores and add to the list!
Looking forward to hearing from you and working together to get SodaStream out of New York City stores!
Visit us online at adalahny.org or Contact Us.
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Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel
October 13, 2014
Free Palestine!
The UK Parliament voted in a landslide 274-12
on the evening of Monday 13th October to
unilaterally recognize the state of Palestine!
September 23, 2014
August 5, 2014
Calling all Rockland residents concerned for the people of Palestine & Israel:
Candlelight Vigil
Calling for a Just Peace in Gaza
Mourning all Victims of Violence in Palestine & Israel
Tuesday, August 5 @ 7pm at the clock tower in Nyack (corner of Cedar & Main)
In the spirit of humanity we come together to:
* mourn the tragic deaths of both Palestinians and Israelis
* call for an end to the Occupation and Siege
* seek a just peace in Palestine/Israel
This coincides with Tisha B'Av, a Jewish day of mourning that falls on August 4th and 5th this year. Please bring candles and materials to make signs. Sponsored by Rockland for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel. For more information or to endorse contact r4jp@npogroups.org.