[Boycott - Other News]

Alert: Protest - Sotheby's Steinmetz Blood Diamonds Fund Massacre in Gaza

inminds
26 March 2013

Sotheby's have partnered with the Steinmetz Diamond Group to form Sotheby's Diamonds. The Steinmetz company have adopted the Givati Brigade of the Israeli military which has been accused of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity by the UN Human Rights Council. The Givati Brigade is responsible, in particular, for the massacre of the Samouni family of Gaza.

During Operation Cast Lead in January 2009, the Israeli army's Givati Brigade rounded up 100 members of the Samouni family, and ordered them into the house of Wa’el Samouni. The house was then bombed, and the ruined building cordoned off for four days during which time rescue services were prevented from approaching, with ambulances being shot at. When rescue workers were finally allowed into the ruins, they found 29 bodies, and traumatised children under the rubble with dead family members. They also found daubed on the walls racist graffiti in Hebrew which read "The only good Arab is a dead Arab".

The Steinmetz Company supports the Givati Brigade through charitable donations. Their foundation on its website* claims to "fosters a close relationship with the commanders and their soldiers" and "during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip the foundation helped the unit buy complementary equipment" and "visited and cared for the soldiers".

The surviving members of the Samouni family in a video appeal have asked people in the UK to reject diamonds from the Steinmetz company.

Sotheby's through its partnership with Steinmetz is directly linked to Israeli war crimes in Gaza. We will be protesting outside Sotheby's to demand they immediately end their partnership with Steinmetz and and make reparations for it’s role in helping to fund Israeli war criminals.

Join us on Wednesday 27th March outside Sotheby's in London, 34-35 New Bond Street W1A 2AA (closest tube station is Oxford Circus) at 12:30pm- 2pm

Protest outside Sotheby's
34-35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA
Wed 27th March 12:30 - 2pm

Futher Information:

http://www.facebook.com/events/498814066846693/

*Once the information about their funding of Israeli soldiers during Operation Cast Lead came to public attention last year the company deleted all reference to it from their website in an attempt to conceal their complicity in war crimes - but not before screen shots of the original webpages were circulated on the internet.

Leaflet (front)

Leaflet (back)

Source: www.inminds.com

Related Articles

Boycott Apartheid Israel - A Select List Of 12 Targets Inminds has researched a select list of 12 targets to boycott - Help end Palestinian suffering by boycotting Israel today!

De Beers Dropped From Environmental Award Following Protest, Is Hypocritically Reinstated One Week Later De Beers was spectacularly dropped from Positive Luxury's 'Positive Environmental Impact' award shortlist, and its Forevermark diamond brand stripped from the Butterfly Mark list after Inminds protested De Beers human rights violations. But a week later Positive Luxury hypocritically reinstated De Beers and Forevermark.

Protest Demands Positive Luxury Drop De Beers From Environmental Award On 21 Feb 2020, Inminds held a vigil outside the offices of Positive Luxury to demand they reconsider their outrageous decision to shortlist serial human rights abuser De Beer Forevermark diamonds, for an award for “Positive Environmental Impact.�

Valentine's Protest Against De Beers Blood Diamonds On Valentine's Day 2020, Inminds held a vigil outside the world's largest diamond company, De Beers Jewellers, to expose De Beers dirty secrets in the exploitation of black Africans; and to highlight the link between De Beers diamond jewellery and Israeli war crimes in Palestine.

De Beers Diamonds - From Founding Apartheid In South Africa To Bankrolling Apartheid In Palestine De Beers diamond empire was built on the blood of black African indentured slave labour. It founded apartheid in South Africa and today bankrolls apartheid in Palestine. 1

Palestinians Appeal To The Diamond Industry - Boycott International Diamond Week in Israel Palestinian civil society organisations, representing a cross-section of Palestinian civil society, and international organisations and individuals in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, have issued a call on the diamond industry to boycott International Diamond Week in Israel.

London Protest Exposes De Beers Blood Diamonds On 14th Dec 2019 Inminds held a vigil outside the world's largest diamond company, De Beers Jewellers in London to expose De Beers dirty secrets in the exploitation of black Africans; and to highlight the link between De Beers diamond jewellery and Israeli war crimes in Palestine.

Anglo American AGM - Protest Demands De Beers End Trade In Israeli Blood Diamonds On 30th April 2019, Inminds Human Rights Group along with other activists, protested outside the AGM of Anglo American in London. Anglo American owns De Beers diamond company. The protest demanded an end its trade in Israeli blood diamonds. A group also attended the AGM to question the board.

London Christmas Protest Demands End To Trade In Israeli Blood Diamonds On 21st Dec 2018 Inminds held a vigil outside the world's largest diamond company, Be Beers Jewellers, in London,to highlight the link between diamond jewellery and Israeli war crimes in Palestine.

Protest Demands Kimberley Process Stand Up To Israeli Diamond Bourse - End Trade In Cut & Polished Blood Diamonds On 8th Dec 2017, the eve of the Kimberley Process Plenary Meeting in Brisbane, Inminds held a vigil outside the Australian High Commission in London to ask Australia to fulfil its duty as chair of the Kimberley Process, to stop ignoring the human suffering bankrolled by the trade in cut and polished blood diamonds by rogue regimes like Israel.

London Protest Demands Sotheby's Pay Blood Diamond Reparations For Victims Of Gaza Samouni Family Massacre - $71m Pink Star Implicated On 4th April 2017, Inminds protested outside Sotheby's in London to highlight the bloody connection between the 59.6-carat Pink Star diamond that was being auctioned at Sotheby's Hong Kong on the same day, and the massacre of 29 members of the Samouni family of Gaza in 2009. Inminds demanded Sotheby's end its partnership with Israel's Diacore and pay reparations to the survivors of the massacre.

Also Of Interest

No To Normalisation With Apartheid Israel - London Projection On 18 Sep 2020, Inminds, IHRC and Bahraini activists held a guerilla projection on Marble Arch to condemn all normalisation with apartheid Israel, in particular the agreement signed by UAE, Bahrain and Israel.

Join the annual International Al Quds Day 2020 #FlyTheFlag #AlQudsDay2020 Join this years Al Quds Day, which due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be held online on 22nd May 2020.

De Beers Dropped From Environmental Award Following Protest, Is Hypocritically Reinstated One Week Later De Beers was spectacularly dropped from Positive Luxury's 'Positive Environmental Impact' award shortlist, and its Forevermark diamond brand stripped from the Butterfly Mark list after Inminds protested De Beers human rights violations. But a week later Positive Luxury hypocritically reinstated De Beers and Forevermark.

Protest Demands Positive Luxury Drop De Beers From Environmental Award On 21 Feb 2020, Inminds held a vigil outside the offices of Positive Luxury to demand they reconsider their outrageous decision to shortlist serial human rights abuser De Beer Forevermark diamonds, for an award for “Positive Environmental Impact.�