Lidl and Aldi donating revenue to Israel for Gaza campaign?
inminds.co.uk 12 January 2009
Chain emails and SMS's have been circulating calling for a boycott of Lidl and Aldi supermarkets claiming that:
"Lidl and Aldi supermarkets declared publicly on TV from their HQ's in Germany that they will donate all their takings/ revenue to Israel during this war on Gaza."
The public revulsion at the slaughter in Gaza is such that fearing a mass consumer boycott both companies have reacted quickly and issued statements that they do not fund Israel, that the rumours are not true.
Aldi's press release states:
Following the communication of unfounded rumours, Aldi confirms that it does not provide Israel with any source of financial funding or support the Israel – Gaza conflict. Aldi has never declared that it will donate store revenue to Israel during the conflict and any such claims are completely untrue. One of Aldi’s core principles is to remain independent of any political views and situations.
It should be pointed out that whilst Lidl and Aldi may not be sending their revenue to Israel, along with other supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Waitrose they stock fruit and vegetables stolen from the Palestinian occupied territories and exported under the Israeli label Carmel Agrexco. For example both stock israeli sweet potatoes:
Leading Israeli exporter Agrexco is sending a vibrant array of products to the UK this winter.. The UK is Agrexco’s main market for sweet potato exports, ahead of Holland for distribution across Europe, and France. The exporter supplies to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Waitrose, as well as discounters Lidl and Aldi.
"Its important to choose a strategy that doesn't end up diverting attention from the issue.. the other side wants nothing more than to divert attention from what the record shows, what the human rights record shows, what the UN record and so forth - they don't want to talk about that because once they start talking about that they loose. They'd rather talk about anti-Semitism, the Nazi holocaust - anything accept Israel and Palestine. With that in mind you have to be careful that you don't embark on a tactic which is going to end up diverting people from Israel-Palestine.. You don't' want to choose grey areas, you always want to choose black and white areas where there is no room for discussion, where there is no room for debate. This is black and white: World Court decision [wall and settlements illegal] 14 to 1. Human rights issues - Amnesty says Israel tortures, Human Rights Watch says Israel tortures, B'Tselem says Israel tortures, everyone says it - its black and white. And the other side has to end up with some ridiculous proposition as Professor Dershowitz put it 'they're all lying'."