Pro-Palestinian students staged a protest last Sunday outside a branch of Marks & Spencer’s, demanding that the chain stop importing goods from Israel.
Activists leafleted shoppers and passers-by urging a boycott of goods of Israeli origin, such as dates, carrots, potatoes, and herbs. The leaflets stated that their aim was “to pressure Israel to respect human rights and international law.”
Habiba Islam, a student at Somerville College and one of the organisers of the protest, said: “As far as I’m concerned Israeli Marks & Spencer food is not just food, it’s blood-soaked food – the implicit endorsement of Israeli apartheid sickens me.”
“In the West Bank, the illegal settlements, the illegal wall, the segregation and home demolitions are clearly apartheid policies.”
Other student groups voiced opposition to the protest. Lorna Fitzsimmons, joint head of the Stop the Boycott campaign, said “Boycotts of any kind do nothing to promote peace and moderation in the Middle East.”
“A boycott has never been the right answer for those looking to genuinely help Palestinians and Israelis. The way forward must be to build bridges, encourage dialogue and allow ordinary Israelis and Palestinians the opportunity to engage with each other.”
Islam, however, disputed this, saying “The inhumane siege in Gaza prevented people from receiving life-saving medicine, and starved the ordinary men, women and children into a humanitarian crisis.
“Israel tries to call itself a fair democratic state and yet, again and again, it shows its utterly inhumane disregard for international law and human rights – we have to act to stop this.
“Boycott of Israeli goods is now a widely accepted ethical stance to adopt. It’s supported by Oxford City Council, as well as the Scottish, Irish and South African TUCs.”
Islam asserted that the activists would be campaigning outside M&S again on Sunday, and again in the future. also mentioned that the group had joined a campaign urging the Co-operative supermarket to cease to sell Israeli produce, and had sent over one hundred letters.
Marks & Spencer has a long-standing affiliation with Israel. Former Chairman Lord Marcus Sieff wrote that support for the economic development of Israel was one of the fundamental objectives of the chain.
The manager of Marks & Spencer Oxford said he was not authorised to comment on the protests, or the issue, but one member of staff who was working on Saturday evening said that she was “unaware that there even was a protest”.
