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.
"1763 in the Ohio river valley you got Lord Jeffrey Amherst committing to written order an instruction to his subordinate Henry Bouquet, having been defeated by Pontiac Ottawa confederacy in the field. The order essentially says that they have been defeated militarily and is therefore necessary for Amherst forces to request a peace, to sue for peace from Pontiacs people. He instructs Bouquet to convene a parlay with the Indian leadership for that purpose. And as is the custom, as is common courtesy among native populations as was known to the Brits at that time, it would be necessary for those who requested the council to give gifts to those requested to attend. Make those gifts, Amherst says, items taken from a smallpox infirmary in order, I'm going to quote directly now, this isn't a paraphrase: 'in order that we may extirpate this execrable race'. Now key is on this last word, had he said that we might eradicate the opposing combatants, their military capacity, their warriors.. what ever term he wanted to use, it would have been biological warefare. But he didn't say anything about that, he said the 'race'. His intent was to use biological means, to use disease, quite explicitly so, to eradicate an entire population group. And Bouquet was also kind enough to commit to writing in his response the next day, I have done as instructed, dispersing three blankets, two handkerchiefs and sundry other items, hopefully, he says, they will have the desired result. They did.. the lowest estimate of the number of people who died of smallpox as a result of that little gesture of friendship and goodwill is a 100,000!"