Italian National Stop Sodastream Day of Action
Saturday, December 22 in several Italian cities, including Rome, Milan, Bologna, Pisa, Parma and Trieste, BDS Italia activists organized boycott actions against the sale of Sodastream products, informing both retailers and potential customers of the very real human rights violations behind Sodastream's phony environmentalism.
Sodastream, an Israeli company that produces home carbonation systems, passed off as "eco-friendly", hides an ugly truth: it operates in blatant violation of international law. Sodastream's main production plant is located in the Israeli settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim, built illegally in the Occupied Palestinian Territories according to international law.
See below i reports, photos and videos of the actions.
Dozens of letters from customers endorsing the request to suspend sales of Sodastream products were delivered to branch managers of COIN, MEDIAWORLD and ESSELUNGA, who submitted the report to their respective national offices and expressed personal solidarity with the motivations of the campaign. Activists held Palestinian and peace flags around the Sodastream display at COIN, informing customers the company’s illegal practices.
BDS Milano organized a Boycott Sodastream action at Media World, next to COOP Italia supermarket, where another action calling for the boycott of Israeli products was held on December 18. The action consisted in deshelving products, informing customers by megaphone and flyers. While the action creating intense agitation and lively discussion among Media World staff and security, the cool heads of the activists prevented provocations and kept the action going for at least 15 minutes, occupying the center of Media World. As the staff was unable to convince the activists to leave, they threatened to call the police. As the activists left, they were stopped by officers who asked about the action, and were informed about the campaign and given flyers.
Protest at the entrance to the "Le Torri" shopping center in via Svevo
Activists of the Bologna BDS Network organized incursions in several retailers selling Sodastream products. Shelves and displays were "decorated" with stickers and leaflets aimed at potential customers.
The stickers spoofed the logo on promotional material and Sodastream packaging, changing "ELECTED PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2012 - Consumers reward innovation" to "ELECTED PRODUCT OF APARTHEID - Consumers reward the Israeli Occupation."
The action was carried out in 11 retailers: Ipercoop - Centrolame; Expert - Centro Commerciale Navile; Mercatone Uno - Centro Commerciale Navile; Ipercoop - Centroborgo; Esselunga - Via Emilia Ponente; Esselunga - Centro Commerciale La Meridiana, Carrefour - Centro Commerciale Shopville , Mediaworld - Centro Commerciale Shopville, Coop & Coop - Centro Commerciale Meraville; Mediaworld - Centro Commerciale Meraville; Expert - Centroborgo.
The Palestine Action Group – Parma joined other Italian pro-Palestinian groups in the day of mobilization and action for boycotts of Israeli goods. On the morning of December 22 at the entrances to supermarkets in our city customers will find our posters, with clear indications of the products to be avoided and the reasons that lead us to support the initiative.
Refusing to purchase Israeli products means refusing to be complicit and declaring opposition to the Zionist Apartheid regime; buying these products instead means giving support, if not consciously, at least from an economic point of view (which is what most interests the State of Israel).
Academic boycotts and economic boycotts: two forms of pressure aimed at hitting the government in Tel Aviv, in both its public image and its (hefty) business, two forms of struggle which, because of their natural ability to be practiced, can be adopted by thousands of people, and make a real contribution to the Palestinian cause.
In Rome, at the COIN department store in San Giovanni, BDS activists denounced the sale of Sodastream products via the symbolic removal of the products from the shelves, and the request for a meeting with the manager who was given a letter explain the reasons for the boycott call. The staff repeatedly expressed solidarity with the reason of the action and the manager committed to evaluating the issue and taking action. The protest was accompanied by the distribution of leaflets, both inside and outside the store.
In the afternoon, activists intervened during a workshop by Paola Maugeri, PR Ambassador for Sodastream, informing the public of her role as testimonial, and in particular, emphasizing the lack of consistency with respect to the environmental message that Maugeri promotes and her lifestyle, both markedly focused on sustainability. She was again given the letter signed by more than 800 people, renewing the request for a clarification of her position (thus far lacking) and to end her relations with the Israeli company.
