"No money for war - boycott the US"

Global consumers call out "No money for war - boycott the US"
Members of European Parliament join global boycott to stop war

Brussels, March 20 2003 - As the UN Security Council and the largest demonstrations in the history of human-kind could not stop the unilateral US-led war against Iraq, a growing number of citizens groups around the globe call for a worldwide consumers boycott of the US economy "No money for the war - boycott the war". Yesterday evening a first group of ten Members of the European Parliament decided to join this non-violent action. The fast growing international boycott movement is a grassroots phenomenon, with boycott websites and calls to action springing up independently in diverse locations. Boycott strategies are also diverse, ranging from refusal to purchase any US or UK goods to targeting those corporations known to support Bush or likely to profit from the war.

Time for an overview!

According to IDEA (International group for Direct Economic Action against war), a network and clearinghouse for the global boycott campaign, many political analysts believe that the tactic of the boycott, if embraced by the peace movement as a whole, is the only form of non-violent direct action that can potentially stop the illegal US attacks on Iraq. If the people opposed to the war were to express their opinion with their wallets by boycotting, the impact on US corporations would be significant.

"This is not an anti-American reflex, but a difficult step as the United Nations are once again being put aside by the US. The boycott is a very practical tool for the public to oppose this war. A fast growing number of consumers start to realise that buying US products equals financing an illegal war" declared Pol D'Huyvetter a spokesperson of For Mother Earth, an international NGO based in Belgium. For Mother Earth acts as an international clearinghouse and networks internationally the boycott of US companies who benefit from the war. The targeted companies are very often being contacted by the critical consumers in an effort to reach the White House.

Europe
The European Social Forum, which encompasses a multiplicity of organizations from many countries, has called for a boycott of all US oil companies. This morning the European parliament will meet to discuss the crisis hitting the international institutions. Following the bombing of Iraq ten Members of the European Parliament (MEP) decided to join the call for boycott of For Mother Earth http://www.motherearth.org/USboycott/. The MEP are Nelly Maes (Efa/Greens, Belgium), Patricia McKenna (Efa/Greens, Ireland), Paul Lannoye (Efa/Greens, Belgium), Bart Staes (Efa/Greens, Belgium), Lucio Manisco (GUE/NGL, Italy), Costas Alyssandrakis (GUE/NGL, Greece), Per Gahrton (Efa/Greens, Sweden), Luigi Vinci (Gue/NGL, Italy) and Alima Boumédienne-Thiery (EFA/Greens, France). In Belgium For Mother Earth and two other Ngo's have taken the step to call for a boycott which was warmly embraced by the many thousands of demonstrators who marched through the streets of Brussels last Saturday. In Switzerland the Centre Martin Luther King calls for a boycott of US and British petrol companies. Jerre Skog, a Swedish writer, musician, idealist, and independent observer is calling for a boycott as the U.S.A and United Kingdom will attack Iraq, violating international law! Support Peace and Justice!! Boycot US and UK products and currency! In Italy the Committee "Fermiamo la guerra" which is the umbrella of the Italian peace movement against this war decided on March 18th to "call for a boycott of the American interests which are behind the war, i.e. Esso first, then the other American companies such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco, Bp-Amoco. The Committee decided also to suggest in the next days other boycotts. Five organisations (Greenpeace, Lilliput, Centro Nuovo Modello di Sviluppo, Botteghe del mondo, Bilan ci di giustizia) focus on the boycott of Esso. The group "Black Gold" of the Lilliput network produced a leaflet calling for "Direct economic actions" where there is amongst others the suggestion of boycotting the companies which gave money to Bush. The association "Malamente" is also calling for a boycott. In the UK, the Stop the War Coalition has expressed support for the ongoing Greenpeace boycott of Exxon-Esso-Mobil oil companies. In Iceland "Atak gegn stridi" (Campaign against the war) is also calling for a boycott. Elias Davidsson declared that "As Iceland has a very small population (280,000 people), the effects of such a boycott serve to unite the people here against the war." Also in Spain boycott actions aiming US products were reported by CNN. In Russia and Greece reports came in today that the Communist Party calls for a boycott of US products. In Finland many people respond to the boycott of For Mother Earth. In Germany a group of French chefs in Hamburg have taken US products off the menu to protest against war on Iraq. Whiskey, Coca-Cola and other US soft drinks are out at one restaurant while others have axed US rice and ketchup. Louis Bouillon, who organised the protest, says about ten chefs are taking part in the boycott. He told the Hamburger Morgenpost paper: "Americans also protest against the French 'no' to war by no longer buying our cheese and our wines." Herve Kerouredan, owner of the Breton Creperie Ti Breizh, said the boycott isn't directed at the USA as such. He explained: "It's not an anti-American move, more like a little object lesson. We want to show that there are certainly other solutions than war to the conflict with Iraq."

Asia
Today news reached us from India and Japan. In India Eminent litterateur and Jnanapeeth award winner U R Ananthamurthy today backed a call to boycott "select" US and British products in the country to protest against the American-led war on Iraq. "We should selectively boycott a few American and British products to get started. We should educate youngsters not to use these products," Ananthamurthy told the Indian newsagency PTI. The People's Health Movement, a global Non-Governmental Organisation, had yesterday called for boycott of tobacco-related products made in the US and Britain. In Japan long-time peaceorganiser Junko Abe decided to network the call for boycott as the first bombs were hitting Iraq last night.

South America In Brazil the federal deputy Chico Alencar ( worker´s party - PT), in Rio de Janeiro announced last Friday (14/03/2003) the campaign to boycott products made in USA, to be implemented if the attack against Iraq happens. " I hope we won´t have to undertake the boycott, but if this unilateral attack from the United States, disregarding the UN, really happens, we will boycott.", says Alencar. Labor unions at Santos, the largest port in Brazil and Latin America, are planning a 24-hour strike for peace by boycotting ships and goods under the U.S. or British banner, a union official said on Monday March 17th. "Labor unions from Santos will meet to vote on proposals on how to voice our desire for peace and our distaste over the coming war in Iraq," said, Marcos Duarte, the president of the Urban Unions of Santos. Representatives from 70 unions, including the petroleum, chemical, banking, shipping and metallurgical industries, should attend the meeting, set for Tuesday morning, said Duarte, who added that many had expressed firm support for the strike. "We don't know when we will hold the strike but we will vote
on proposals tomorrow," he said. "I want to stress that the strike would not be a protest against the United States or Britain but rather against war and for peace. We are proposing that no adherent to the strike drink a Coca-Cola or go into a McDonald's for lunch," said Duarte. He said the idea came from local TV reports showing U.S. and British bar owners pouring French wine onto the streets in protest of France's threat to veto a new U.N. resolution that would give the go-ahead to a U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Middle East
As we all know the US foreign policy towards Israel (with ABC weapons), Palestine and Iraq has angered many Muslims. The boycott of US products has hit such American giants as McDonald's, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Starbucks, Coke and Pepsi where some company sales have dropped by as much
as 65 percent. Two of the six McDonald's franchises in Jordan have closed for lack of business, and KFC and McDonald's branches in Muscat, the capital of Oman, report that sales have fallen by up to 65 percent. In Jordan, a committee representing 14 opposition parties and 14 trade unions has called for citizens to boycott US goods and to purchase French and German goods instead.

Pacific
In New Zealand, the Spend for Peace campaign is calling for consumers to boycott specific US brands (such as Dow and Dupont) and to notify the companies that they are doing so. In Australia Peace Action calls for a boycott as a positive and powerful alternative to "fighting" for peace. As most people calling for a boycott they declare: "We are not anti-American, or pro-Saddam. We just simply do not believe that war is the answer."

In South Africa, the Iraq Action Committee of South Africa has called for a boycott of American and British products to protest the bombing of Iraq.

USA
And finally also in the USA the boycott finds support amongst the opponents to the war. Be the Cause is targeting specific brands (such as Kraft and Philip Morris) for a consumer boycott. The influential Adbusters magazine and website has launched a "Boycott Brand America" campaign, which asks participants to pledge to boycott American corporate brands "from the moment the war begins and to the best of my ability until the empire learns to listen"

"These are some of the facts known about the boycott for South-America, the Middle East, the Pacific, Europe, Asia, South-Africa and the US. However we are aware people around the world are using their wallet to oppose the war" declared Pol D'Huyvetter "For many people the unilateral and illegal policy from the US is unacceptable. Also regarding illegal stocks of weapons of mass destruction the common people do not want to be fopled. Many people know that the US has the largest stocks of nuclear weapons and even talks of using these. At the same time the US is not even uttering a whisper regarding the stocks of ABC-weapons in Israel. Therefore around the globe people seem to think about the boycott. We are now coming in with For Mother Earth to get the boycott of the war more coordinated".

The boycott has not merely had adverse results; there is also a consequent effort to produce and consume locally-produced goods instead. The biggest success-story has been Iran's Zam Zam Cola, whose sales have skyrocketed. The manufacturers cannot keep pace with demand from customers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Gulf states. In the United Arab Emirates Star Cola is doing brisk business, while an enterprising Muslim in France has come up with the brand name "Mecca Cola". The fact that Muslims are beginning to
make products to replace American ones is welcomed by both Muslims and others around the globe.

ATTENTION:
If a boycott campaign is not listed, please contact
pol@motherearth.org
For Mother Earth agreed to act as an international clearinghouse. latest
updates will be posted http://www.motherearth.org/USboycott/global_en.php

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