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Alert 20th Dec - Protest Israeli Blood Diamonds - Rolling protest down Old Bond Street

inminds
18 December 2014

www.inminds.com, 18th December 2014

Last month Israel's business news Globes (16th Nov 2014) reported that third quarter economic results show Israel's economy has for the first time since 2009 contracted in the wake of the genocidal assault on Gaza. The decline in GDP reflects decrease in investments and exports of goods and services right across the board. Tourism for example is down 77.5%. The only anomaly is the export of diamonds, they actually rose by 53.3% thus helping bail out the Israeli economy at this critical time when no one want to touch this genocidal regime.

It would appear that most people don't readily associate diamonds with Israel and its war crimes. The reality is that Israel's diamond industry is a main source of funding for the Israeli military ( $1 billion every year according to testimony given at the Russell Tribunal in Nov 2010).

Join us on Saturday 20th December 2014 - the busiest shopping day of the year - as we proceed down Old Bond Street on a rolling protest stopping at the businesses of the main peddlers of Israeli blood diamonds to reveal to the public the complicity of these companies in war crimes in Gaza. We will meet promptly at 12:30 outside De Beers at the corner of Old Bond Street and Piccadilly.

Some of the peddlers of Israeli blood diamonds we will protest are:

LEVIEV

According to the NY Times Lev Leviev "is probably Israel’s richest man" and his Israeli company Leviev is "the world’s largest cutter and polisher of diamonds". Leviev is also heavily embroiled in the construction of illegal Jews-only settlements on the West Bank.

CARTIER

Cartier sources its high end jewellery from Israel's leading diamond exporter, and once receiver of Israel's Exporter of the Year Award, Leo Schachter Diamonds. Last year Leo Schachter alone accounted for nearly 6% of all Israeli diamond exports which when extrapolated suggests a contribution of nearly $60 million to the Israeli army through taxation alone.

On Tuesday 16th Dec we protested against Sotheby's Diamonds - Sotheby's 50-50 partnership with Israel's Steinmetz Diamonds Group (now Diacore). (See video: http://youtu.be/e6l3zjoOHrU ) Steinmetz through its foundation adopted and funds the notorious Givati Brigade of the Israeli army which stands accused of war crimes in Gaza by the UN Human Rights Council. In particular the Givati Brigade is responsible for the Samouni family massacre in Gaza. Well Steinmetz also has partnerships with other leading players in the diamond industry including De Beers and Tiffany's..

DE BEERS

TIFFANY

GRAFF

ISRAELI BLOOD DIAMONDS - BACKGROUND

Israel is one of the world’s leading producers of cut & polished diamonds. It imports rough diamonds, doubles their value by cutting & polishing, and exports them globally via hubs in London, Antwerp, HK, NY & Mumbai. In 2011 Israel’s net export of diamonds was worth $10 billion (30% of Israel’s manufacturing export, Israel’s #1 industry). 40-50% of diamonds purchased in the US in dollar terms are from Israel.

Most people don’t realise that diamonds sold in jewellers worldwide are bankrolling Israel’s war machine: “Overall the Israeli diamond industry contributes about $1 billion annually to the Israeli military and security industries … every time somebody buys a diamond that was exported from Israel some of that money ends up in the Israeli military� evidence given by Israeli economist Shir Hever (Russell Tribunal Nov 2010).

In February 2013 over 50 Palestinian civil society organisations, representing a cross-section of Palestinian society, issued an appeal to women and men of conscience and jewellers worldwide to reject diamonds processed in Israel:

The Palestinian civil society organizations and international solidarity groups call upon:

1. Jewellers worldwide to immediately end the trade in diamonds processed in Israel, and

2. women and men of conscience the world over to reject diamonds from Israel which fund a military regime that murders, maims and terrorises innocent men, women and children with impunity.

Last protest outside Leviev - shop including entrance totally disappeared behind our banners (22 Nov 2014)

Last protest outside De Beers (22 Nov 2014)

Outside De Beers (22 Nov 2014)

VIDEO FROM LAST BLOOD DIAMOND PROTEST OUTSIDE DE BEERS (22 NOV 2014)

Protest outside Leviev
http://youtu.be/gmiS-ENk3v0?list=UUL-_3JtDktNRc8JU5CUIXDg

Speech outside De Beers
http://youtu.be/XfQv8ipZY7Y?list=UUL-_3JtDktNRc8JU5CUIXDg

Protest outside De Beers
http://youtu.be/Bjaf6nwRw6A?list=UUL-_3JtDktNRc8JU5CUIXDg

(courtesy Alex Seymour)
http://youtu.be/wcfE74dKp5M

(courtesy Damian Read)
http://youtu.be/2UjW7R_9IrU

LIVE UPDATES DURING PROTEST

We will, inshAllah, be tweeting live (tags @DeBeers @TiffanyAndCo @Cartier #Leviev #BoycottIsraeliDiamonds) from the protest with live photos being uploaded to our twitter and facebook page. So if you can't join us on the day, please help us by sharing the photos as they get uploaded.

https://www.facebook.com/inmindscom

https://twitter.com/InmindsCom

If you support this activity please share this alert widely, thank you.

JazakAllah,
Abbas Ali

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Source: www.inminds.com

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