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.
"The occupation can only end when pressure is applied from outside. Who is going to apply this pressure? The United States is not going to apply the pressure because Israel is its rotwiller, Israel is its local enforcement - a junior partner in the Middle-East, it is a special relationship - Israel is the US rotwiller. The British government is not going to stop it because the British government is the poodle of the United States, this is another special relationship. So who is going to apply it? We are going to apply the pressure. Civil society, ordinary people apply pressure by applying boycott - by boycotting Israeli goods, and exports, by boycotting tourism to Israel, by boycotting academic institutions which are part of the machinery of oppression and torture.."