Category: BDS Hub
Stay connected and informed to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
David Eby & BC NDP’s Failure on Israeli Apartheid Wines
Four years ago this month, the Boycott Israeli Wines campaign held a picket at the MLA office of BC Attorney General David Eby. At the time, his mandate included the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, which has been flaunting international law and Palestinians rights for over a decade by stocking Israeli apartheid wines linked to the illegal settlement enterprise.
The picket also delivered a copy of the letter signed by 26 organiztions to Eby’s office, emphasizing our concerns with the BC NDP government’s policy. Eby finally sent a brief written response but refused to meet with our campaign representatives in person, saying “my schedule does not allow me to meet with you at this time.” Although he was finally obliged to meet with a small group of his own constituents on the issue, no action of any sort was forthcoming, not from Eby nor from the minister who inherited the BCLDB portfolio, Finance Minister Selina Robinson.
Recently, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh reiterated his party’s commitment to “end all trade and economic cooperation with illegal settlements in Israel-Palestine”, based on the resolution already passed at their 2021 convention. As noted in our April 19, 2021 letter to BC Minister Selina Robinson:
“The sale of wines from illegal Israeli settlements in BC and Canadian liquor stores has been an ongoing travesty for over a decade; there is no better place for the NDP to implement its new policy (and for)… action to finally be taken on this issue.“
But despite stonewalling us for years with lame excuses, the BC NDP government joined other provinces in just 2 days in putting a “…halt to the importing and sale of Russian liquor products from our BC Liquor Stores and provincial liquor distribution centres”. Just two days! And supposedly all in the name of standing with those “who want to live in peace and against those who commit deplorable and illegal acts of aggression.” (Except when it comes to Palestinians of course). So it can be done and done quickly. It just depends on who you are and what political agenda is being served.
So we call on the BC NDP government to stop their crass hypocrisy and respond to the concerns of multiple individuals and organizations regarding the stocking of Israeli apartheid wines. We refuse to be made complicit in Israeli war crimes; your lack of any significant action on this issue puts your government and party’s credibility and ethics into question!
Boycotting Israeli Products has a long history in Vancouver
In the late 1980s, Canada Palestine Association launched their first targeted consumer boycott of Achva Halva bars. Previous calls to boycott Israel had been more general and this campaign was to be the first of many consumer boycott initiatives. The campaign met with some success as several small businesses in the popular Commercial Drive area agreed to no longer carry the Halva bars, produced in an illegal Israeli settlement “industrial zone”. Famous Foods on Kingsway, however, insisted on stocking the product, despite repeated attempts to engage with them.
At that time, the bars were made in the Barkan settlement. According to Who Profits, the factory was moved to the Ariel settlement in 2017, and the company is no longer open about where the products are manufactured. In the late 1980s, as you can see in the pictures from one of our members, Achva was not shy in showing that their bars were the result of war crimes “pillaging”.
Ahdut Factory for Tehina Halva and Sweets (Ahdut – Achva) – whoprofits
BC Govt: Pull Israeli Apartheid Wines
On June 28, Vancouver activists carried out another picket to promote the “Tell BC Govt to Pull Israeli Apartheid Wines” campaign. Hundreds of leaflets were distributed outside a BC liquor store and following that, the action moved to the office of MLA Melanie Mark. Several of her constituents were part of the picket and their concerns are being consistently sidelined by her office, despite her promise to meet with them.
Vancouver’s anti-apartheid stickering squad has also been active, visiting several stores in the month of June to bring home the message that profiting off Israeli apartheid is fundamentally wrong.
Check out our video on Twitter outside Melanie Mark’s office.
BDS Vancouver/Canada Palestine Association on Twitter: “Pull Israeli Apartheid Wines! Our message to the BC Govt and MLAs about their racist double standards was met with “locked doors and an intercom” and an “unwillingness…to dialogue with grassroots people standing up for social justice and Palestinian rights in the community.” https://t.co/0i5ATtS7bf” / Twitter
Actions in Support of Palestine
As Israeli forces are stepping up their brutality against Palestinians, activists in British Columbia are taking to the streets to show support for the Palestinian struggle. On April 23, there is an action in Surrey, BC to Stand for Palestine and to highlight Palestinian political prisoners.
And on April 16, an information picket to say “No to Israeli Apartheid Wines” was held at the BC Liquor Store on Commercial Drive, Vancouver. Hundreds of leaflets were distributed, signatures were collected, and then a delegation went to the office of MLA Melanie Mark to also deliver the message.
The campaign to “Tell BC Govt to Pull Israeli Apartheid Wines” has featured joint actions in Vancouver and Victoria over the last two months, and the letter initiative has garnered over 1300 signatures (both on-line and in person). Check out full details here.