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BDS tries to pull wool over Woolies’ eyes
ANT KATZ
“Woolworths takes a further step to protect customers & employees” against BDS protests, saying that “while we respect the right to protest peacefully and lawfully, the safety of our employees and customers come first”.
Woolies announced on November 14 that it has “filed a court application to protect our employees and customers from the increasing unlawful protests inside our stores”.
BDS wasted no time in putting out a counter-statement which if full of hyperbole and vitriol. And, of course, became BDS’ BIG LIE #2. Read all about it, and the history of the Woolies, BDS and “Which Little Piggy” saga…
Take a hike
The Woolworths board told the activists to take a hike at their AGM last month and are refusing to be held to ransom by purveyors of such infamous chants as “Shoot The Jew”.
That incident sure got the community riled up = some of whom had the following to say:
Wrote David Saks of the SAJBD in an op-ed on this website recently: “The problem for BDS-SA is that sometimes its allies have got a little carried away. Last year’s ‘SHOOT THE JEW’ incident at Wits was a PR disaster for the organisation, made worse by its national co-ordinator, Mohammed Desai’s inability to concede that there was anything really wrong with it.”
Chuck Volpe, a long-standing member of the SAJBD committee, had the following to say in an exclusive op-ed on SAJR Online: “Two recent events, one at Wits and one at Rhodes, bear comparison:
“Wits witnessed what was arguably the most grievous expression of Jew-hatred this country has seen for 50 years. Outside the Great Hall where a talented Israeli jazz orchestra was giving a concert, protesters from the so-called BDS SA, raised the cry of “SHOOT THE JEW”. This war cry, a forerunner to countless pogroms and massacres of Jews in the past, can only have been intended to incite hatred and possibly violence.
“Instead of apologising, Mohammed Desai the co-ordinator of BDS SA, accuses Jews of overreacting. This incident lays bare the character of BDS. It has little interest in justice; rather it seeks to denigrate Jews and the Jewish State and it employs the crude and vulgar tools of lies, slogans, slurs and incitement.
“Thankfully, Wits Vice-Chancellor Adam Habib condemned the statements and even attended the concert as part of promoting diversity on campus.”
Writing exclusively for SAJR Online, Ariella Carnot, national chairman of the SA Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS), said: ”As university students our primary duty is to use our privileged experience of attending a tertiary institution to make our world a better place. In this special arena we are given the opportunity to listen, debate, enquire, think and forge the ideas that will drive tomorrow’s generation.
“Unfortunately these values, all of which are guaranteed by our Constitution, are at risk of being undermined by extremists when it comes to debates around the Middle East. Every year the so-called “Israel Apartheid Week” (IAW) operates to create tension on campuses across our country.
“IAW organisers have staged marches which include swastikas, have disrupted concerts at some campuses, chanted “Shoot the Jew” at others and have been found guilty by the South African Human Rights Commission of promoting hate speech.”
Abbas took BDS’ credibility away, twice!
When Mahmoud Abbas attended the funeral of Nelson Mandela last December, he was asked at a news conference in Johannesburg about his position on a total boycott of Israel. He said flatly that he did not support it, but wanted people around the world not to deal with Israeli settlements and whatever products they produced. “No, we do not support the boycott of Israel,” said Abbas. “But we ask everyone to boycott the products of the settlements. Because the settlements are in our territories. It is illegal.”
And again, in an exclusive Interview with Jewish Report Online earlier this month, Tamer Al Massri, media & cultural officer for the Palestinian Embassy in SA, confirmed that for the second consecutive SA December visit, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ message to everyone had been: “We want everybody to boycott illegal settlements. For now we are concentrating on asking everybody in the world to boycott the settlements.” The Palestinian Authority does not want a boycott of Israel or of Israeli goods. Officially the PA can’t tell BDS not to boycott, said Al Massri.
Back to the hard-hitting Volpe
In another hard-hitting op-ed on SAJR Online recently, Chuck Volpe wrote: “A year ago the ANC leader in the Western Cape Marius Fransman made a series of outrageous statements, all untrue, about “nose-picking” (his term) Jews. Then followed the cry of “Shoot the Jew” at Wits, Cosatu’s Tony Ehrenreich’s invitation to Jews to leave the country if they wished to support Israel, ANCYL’s picket of a Jewish Board of Deputies conference and ANC headman Gwede Mantashe’s declaration that Israel’s founding was a “crime against humanity”. These statements together cover all anti-Semitic bases – demonisation, delegitimisation and the singling out of Jews and Jewish interests.”
Prof Adam Habib would have none of it
New Wits vice-Chancellor, Prof Adam Habib, started his new job in August – just as a band of BDS-led and inspired protesters crossed the line of decency with the chanting of ‘Shoot the Jew’ at a concert Habib had organised to make good for one they had caused to be abandoned just before his arrival.
BDS ended up shooting themselves in the foot. “Wits is renowned for encouraging freedom of expression, dialogue and debate on often diverse and conflicting views confronting society, provided that it does not exceed the limitations explicated in our Constitution. The University provides a platform for different constituencies to express their views and opinions through considered debate and intellectual engagement in the spirit of tolerance, respect and openness,” said Prof Habib.
Follow a year’s worth of this saga.
Watch Jewish Report Online’s Top Stories of 2014 series for the detailed saga of how BDS has lost ground during 2014 – and how SA Jewry has started fighting back…
Next week we will reveal how BDS’ attempts to spy on a Jewish Rhodes University staffer during Israel Apartheid Week over several years went on to cost both the BDS organisation and the university itself very dearly.
Stories in this series of Top Reads 2014:
- JEWISH REPORT’S 2014 HIT PARADE= How it works and how to find, share and follow the series
- SHALOM, TATA, WE WILL REMEMBER YOU… ALWAYS= The natural place to start, last December
COMING NEXT WEEK:
- The Rhodes U fiasco, what it cost them & who left after our exposé
- The mysterious appearance and disappearance of Breslov R. Berland
BDS WORKS
Dec 24, 2014 at 8:36 am
‘CHARGES against four pro-Palestine activists, arrested for an in-store protest at Woolworths, were dropped yesterday before they appeared at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town.The four members of the group Action Forum 4 Palestine were arrested during a non-violent demonstration at the Woolworths store in Cavendish Square on Saturday.“They were to appear at the court but eventually the charges were dropped. The prosecutor found there was no case. There were questions around the arrest and whether it was lawful,” said KZN Palestine Solidarity Forum’s Clint Le Bruyns.He said Wareldiyah Johnstone, Abraham Agulhas, Kamil Suleiman and Raymond Ryklief had faced charges of trespassing, harassment and intimidation, and of contravening a court order.Police had used the court order Woolworths had against Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions SA (BDS) but it did not apply to other organisations. Two of the activists had been released on R1 000 bail on Sunday, while the other two remained in custody.According to the court order, BDS activists are not allowed to participate in, organise or encourage in-store protests directed at Woolworths.When Woolworths approached the court, it claimed staff and customers were intimidated by protesters and the retailer feared for their safety. But yesterday, it refused to give the number of incidents of intimidation against its staff or shoppers.The press office said: “It has been business as usual for Woolworths. We have seen short-lived and isolated protests outside a few stores. None ofWoolworths’ stores closed as a result of the protests over the weekend. We have continued to work with local authorities to protect the rights of our customers and our employees during the isolated protests.”BDS and the National Coalition 4 Palestine said the arrests and interdict would not stop other organisations protesting.BDS national co-ordinator Muhammed Desai said the organisation had agreed in good faith to refrain from in-store protests. However, other organisations had held protests inside Woolworths stores in Mahikeng, Port Elizabeth, Centurion, Cape Town, Durban and Joburg at the weekend.’
nat cheiman
Dec 24, 2014 at 1:46 pm
‘BDS is a muslim invention. The same as a suicide vest and terrorism .
That’s what Desai and his scumbag pals bring to the table.
In France, Australia, UK, Germany, America, Belgium, Somalia, Nigeria, muslims create problems.
People are not fooled by Desai and BDS. Only idiots and fools are.’
Steve
Dec 25, 2014 at 6:33 pm
‘Unfortunately in SA idiots & fools abound!’
Jonni
Dec 27, 2014 at 9:18 pm
‘The policy of singling out Israel is hypocritical and anti Semitic.
Why don’t they boycott those countries in which human rights violations occur and where minorities are oppressed.
Israel is an easy target because it is democratic and I shudder to think how Arab countries would respond to a BDS campaign against them.Perhaps a public beheading or two, or a chopping off of a few limbs.’
Mordechai
Dec 29, 2014 at 7:58 am
‘Wake up South African Jewry. I believe that it is the policy of the ANC to support the BDS and the movement. It is fact that the ANC is the South African government. It is also fact that the ANC has been the South African government since the inception of the new South Africa (the so called rainbow nation). It is equally true that South African Jewry are proud to be members of the new South Africa, and love waiving the South African flag at every possible opportunity. It is also true that South African Jewry are proud to be South African. How on earth is it possible for this to be the case….Every Jewish South African who professes to be a proud South African when its government is as openly Anti Israel as any Arab country should be ashamed of themselves and I recommend that they look into the mirror and take stock’
Choni
Dec 29, 2014 at 10:27 am
‘Mordechai, The worst part is that a very large percentage of S.African Jews refuse to consider themselves to be ‘refugees’ from their true inheritance – the Land of Israel.
They refuse to believe that they are living in exile.
They refuse to recognise that after nearly 2000 years of often cruel exile, God, in His mercy, has restored Jewish Sovereignty on almost all of Israel. They , led by their communal and religious leaders, have \”scorned the desirable Land\”, and have chosen instead to make the Diaspora their future.
Many, again led by their religious leaders have followed the slogan \”Mach doh Erertz Yisrael\” (make this place Eretz Yisrael\”).
Mordechai, as you rightly point out; the longer the Jewish community lingers in the \”comfortable\” exile, the more their loyalties will shift from the Land of their inheritance to the \”stepmother\” of exile. (Heaven help us.). Can they not see God’s affliction all over Europe and America, both physically and spiritually.
All blame for perpetuating this sad situation must be placed on the ‘spies of the generation’.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
‘
Mordechai
Dec 30, 2014 at 1:53 am
‘Jonni, you are 100% correct the BDS being Anti Israel is the 21 century form of Anti Semitism…the two cant be separated as shown so clearly around the world recently when Anti Israel protests became openly anti Jewish protests and hate filled gatherings. Therefore any individual, movement or government who professes to be Anti Israel is in fact Anti Semitic. Whilst this is in itself sad and makes one angry it has been the way of the world for centuries, so I am not surprised. What makes me even more angry and mad is when Jewish communities are proud to be members of these Anti Israel, and by extention Anti Semitic countries and openly profess to be proud members of these countries, flying their flags with pride, wearing their colours with pride, supporting their teams with pride…these Jews, be they individuals or communities give legitimacy to these Anti Israel and Anti Semitic countries…and this is sad.’
nat cheiman
Jan 1, 2015 at 10:57 am
‘Lately, watching the news unfold on tv, I would not be proud to be a muslim…
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Sorry, Nat, I have had to cut you off there because the rest of your comment goes to hate-speech and racism. Always remember that you can have a go at, say, a radical group within a broad group (like Muslim suicide killers, for example) – but when you direct your feelings towards a group as a whole, that then becomes hate-speech – both under SA and Israeli law.
\nUnder the SA constitution, it is also considered racism.
\nWhich is a fair call, actually, because I, for one, don’t want anyone to be able to publically label me a \”thief\” because some Jews have run Ponzi schemes. Do you? -ED
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nat cheiman
Jan 2, 2015 at 10:32 am
‘Ok Ed . My apologies. You are correct. I was only trying to offend those that are anti Israel and anti jewish.’