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About BDS Italia
BDS Italia is a movement supporting boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel's occupation and system of apartheid until Israel respects international law and human rights, comprised of associations and groups throughout Italy that endorse the 2005 call from Palestinian civil society. The BDS movement supports equal rights for all and is therefore opposed to all forms of racism, fascism, sexism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, ethnic and religious discrimination.
Although most of the content of our web site is in Italian, this section contains articles, press releases and action items in English.
Contact information
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On September 5, in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia, Italy will play against Israel in the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup.
In addition to practicing colonialism and apartheid against the entire Palestinian population, Israel has:
Leggi: World Cup Qualifier Italy-Israel: Red Card Israeli apartheid!
On May 23, activists from BDS Rome interrupted the talk of HPE Italy Vice President Claudio Bassoli in a packed hall at ForumPA, the public administration trade fair, to raise awareness about the over 1,000 Palestinian political prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli prisons since 17 April.
Leggi: VIDEO: Rome, action condemning HPE for role in Israeli prisons, in support of #DignityStrike
The multinational company Hewlett Packard (HP) has been removed from the program of the conference "Ethics and Social Responsibility in Information Technology" set for December 5 in Milan, Italy. (original program)
BDS Italy, which promotes a boycott of HP as part of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, wrote to conference organizers informing them of the role HP plays in providing technological support for Israel’s military occupation and denial of Palestinians human rights. The letter noted that HP’s participation would not only discredit an important and timely conference but would also permit the company to create a false image of socially responsibility.
BDS Italy welcomes the decision by the organizers, which is consistent with their commitment to promote ethics in the IT profession as well as general solidarity. The news comes as the Global #StopHP Week of Action kicks off.
From today, November 25, though December 3, over 100 actions will be organized around the world, including twenty in Italy, signaling the largest coordinated BDS action organized to date.
The European convention for ReMax, the global real estate network selling homes in Israeli settlements, was held in Rome, Italy. RomeAgainstReMax mobilized for two days of actions. For more information on the international campaign, see RemodelReMax
October 18, RomeAgainstReMax occupied a ReMax agency protesting the company's complcity with the Israeli occupation. ReMax sells homes in illegal Israeli settlements built on land stolen from Palestinians. Settlements are a violations of international law. Not only is ReMax complicit with the Israeli occupation, it also makes a profit from it.
Leggi: Rome: Protests during convention for ReMax, real estate agency for the Israeli occupation
No to the ReMax Convention in Rome
From October 19 to 21, Rome will host the European convention of ReMax, the US real estate company, among the largest in the world, with 100,000 agents engaged in selling and renting houses, apartments and offices in nearly 100 countries.
ReMax is part of the corporate world that has enriched itself on the real estate market and, consequently, on the fundamental need of every person on the planet to have dignified housing.
ReMax chose Rome for their convention/party, made up of cocktails, meetings and "fun nights". But Rome is only "fun" for those who have become rich off the business of housing.
In the city of Rome, the so-called "city of the building speculators," where the likes of Caltagirone, Salini, Parnasi and Toti make a fortune thanks also to brokerage firms such as ReMax, more than 100,000 people are forced to live in a housing emergency, 23,000 families are on the waiting list for public housing that does not arrive, over 9,000 are evicted year. While tens of thousands of homes remain empty.
Those who chose to speculate and to thrive on the commodification of the right to housing are, in fact, responsible for this situation.
For ReMax, however, it’s not enough to turn a profit off the Italian and international real estate markets, they also profit from Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.
Leggi: ReMax, the real estate agent for housing speculation and the Israeli occupation
Nearly 40 European trade unions, water and human rights networks and environmental groups from a dozen countries have written a letter to the European Commission urging withdrawal of patronage from Watec, the Israeli water conference and exhibition to be held for the first time in Europe, September 21-23 in Venice, Italy. (See letter and signatories)
Endorsers of the letter note the European Commission patronage comes “at a time when Israel is cutting off water to Palestinian communities, leaving tens of thousands without access to water during the hottest time of the year.” In addition, WATEC includes “companies involved in and facilitating violations of international law.”
Among the signatories of the letter are the Italian Forum of Water Movements, Right2Water Ireland, Eau Secours and the Association des Consommateurs d’Eau de la ville de Sète in France, and the Association for International Water Studies in Norway; the Italian trade unions FIOM-Cgil and USB, representing 360,000 and 250,000 workers respectively, as well as the Teachers’ Union of Greater Lisbon; Italy’s one million member strong Associazione ARCI, the Belgian NGO coalition CNCD 11.11.11, Italian NGOs Cospe and Un ponte per…, and Umanotera, The Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development.
The European Commission also granted patronage to the 2013 and 2015 editions of Watec in Tel Aviv, where the main sponsor was Mekorot, Israel’s national water company documented by organizations such as Amnesty International as appropriating Palestinian water resources and supplying water to Israeli settlements. Additional sponsors and participants include settlement based Ariel University, companies providing services to settlements such as Netafim, Tahal Group International, Hagihon, KKL/JNF as well as Elbit Systems, one of Israel’s leading producers of weapons and surveillance systems used against the Palestinian population and along Israel’s Wall.
The signatories argue that by granting patronage to events sponsored by and involving companies and institutions operating in Israeli settlements, the European Commission “is at odds with the European Union's own official position on settlements. Even worse, it legitimates and encourages illegal activities that trample fundamental rights such as access to water, thereby reinforcing Israel’s impunity.”
Through its patronage for Watec, the Commission is also “giving credibility to the myth of the Israeli water miracle, which was built on the appropriation of Palestinian water resources and the denial of a fundamental right,misleading participating European companies and public opinion.”
The endorsing groups call on the European Commission to follow the lead of the growing list of “European companies that have ended ties with Israeli companies and projects violating international law, including the Dutch companies Vitens and Royal HaskoningDHV, French companies Veolia, Safege and Poma, Ireland’s CRH and Germany’s Deutsche Bahn.” They also urge “all European institutions to fulfill their legal obligation to put an end to all forms of support and assistance for Israeli violations of international law and Palestinian rights.”
The letter comes after fourteen prominent Palestinian agricultural and environmental organizations wrote to the Italian agricultural network Coldiretti urging their Italian counterparts to withdraw sponsorship and participation from Watec, noting that “it is through the control of water resources that one of the most blatant violations of international law related to the illegal occupation of our territory manifests itself.”
Campagna No Mekorot – Italy
On September 5 in Haifa, Italy will play against Israel in the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup.
This match should not take place. Under the rules of fair play, FIFA should suspend the Israel Football Association.
In addition to practicing colonialism and apartheid against the entire Palestinian population, Israel has killed and injured Palestinian footballers, as well as children playing football, destroyed stadiums and sports centers, prevented the movement of and arrested Palestinian athletes and raided the Palestinian Football Federation headquarters. This summer, Israel blocked the arrival of flags and uniforms for the Palestinian team at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. What’s more, the Israel Football Association includes six teams located in settlements built on stolen Palestinian land in violation of international law.
Just as in 1964, when FIFA suspended South Africa over its apartheid policies, a decision maintained until the end of the Apartheid regime, today we call on FIFA to suspend Israel Football Association until Israel respects Palestinians rights and international law.
Let’s follow the excellent example of hundreds of Celtic fans, who defied the ban on Palestinian flags during the match with the Israeli team Hapoel, filling the stadium. Also in France, during the match between St Etienne and Beitar Jerusalem, many Palestinian flags were waved.
On September 5th, starting at 20:45 (Italian time) during the Italy-Israel World Cup qualifier, let’s show our support for Palestine.
We’re fans of Palestinian rights!
Let’s show Israeli Apartheid the red card!
- Join the Thunderclap for a collective tweet during the match. The tweet will be in Italian and reads: “In 1964 #FIFA suspended Apartheid South Africa. Sign now to call on Fifa to suspend racist Israel! #WorldCup #IsrIta”
- During the match, let’s fill social media with Palestinian flags. Download images at the link or be creative. Use hashtags #IsrIta and #WorldCup. Follow @bdsitalia for other hashtags.
- Sign the petition to FIFA, already signed by over 150,000 people, urging the suspension of Israel.
- Participate in the crowdfunding organized by Celtic fans, which in a few short days has raised over £150,000 for Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Lajee Center of the Aida refugee camp.
BDS Italia
After being blocked for over three hours at the "checkpoint" in Piazza di Pietra in Rome by Italian "law enforcement", denied the freedom of movement and expression, the attivists held their ground and attained their inalienable right to communicate, to demand the freedom of the Palestinian people, arriving at Palazzo Cipolla where the Banksy exhibition was on display.
WAR, CAPITALISM & LIBERTY from Banksy to Us
An exhibition for the Cultural Boycott of Israel
We present the vile WAR perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people.
We present the CAPITALISM that drowns out the protest movements against Israeli oppression and corrupts the hearts of those who allow themselves to become complicit.
We present the FREEDOM that we demand for all Palestinians who are deprived of this basic right.
Just like Banksy, whose works created in the Palestinian territories communicate thoughts and messages of struggle that the mainstream media refuse to show, corrupted by system that ties them to Israel’s self-promotion, we also want to rise above the barriers of capitalist opportunism, to show our opposition to Israeli Apartheid and highlight its political contradictions.
On the one hand, Israel commits daily injustices and crimes against Palestinians, who are struggling against the occupation, by restricting freedoms of expression and culture, by killing and imprisoning, including through the illegal practice of administrative detention (without charges or trial, renewable indefinitely at the discretion of a military judge).
Israel arrests journalists, teachers, students, knowledge and cultural workers, such as Mohammed Abu Sakha, Palestinian clown of the Ramallah circus school, arrested in December 2015 and held without charge or trial for six months. His detention was just extended for another six months. (There are over 7000 Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli prisons, including 400 minors, with more than 1,000 in administrative detention)
Leggi: Rome, Street theatre: War, Capitalism & Liberty from Banksy to Us
- 40 activists protest in front of the venue in Ravenna
- Batsheva is a propaganda tool financed by the Israeli government in order to conceal its policies of occupation and apartheid in Palestine
- The participation of Batsheva in the Festival dishonours the memory of Mandela, defender of the Palestinian rights.
- After communicating the reasons behind the protest, several people declined to attend the show
On July 6 a group of about forty activists of the Italian Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions Campaign against Israel (BDS Italia) together with Palestine solidarity organisations in Ravenna protested in front of the Pala De André against the performance of the Israeli dance company Batsheva as part of the Ravenna Festival.
The activists distributed leaflets and displayed posters denouncing Batsheva’s role as a central figure of the marketing campaign Brand Israel, launched in 2009 by the Israeli government to present Israel as a “normal country” and to divert the attention of world public opinion from the continuous violations of Palestinian human rights and international law. Batsheva's Italian tour, similarly to those of other Israeli artists in the world, is financed by the Israeli government and sponsored by the Israeli embassy. The government of Israel openly admits using culture and arts as propaganda tools.
The activists also emphasized that Batsheva's participation is in clashing contrast with the dedication of the Ravenna Festival to Nelson Mandela and offends the memory of the leader of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and defender of the Palestinian rights.
Leggi: Ravenna Festival: Demonstration against Batsheva, cultural ambassador for Israeli apartheid
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.".
Desmond Tutu
To the Ravenna Festival