H&M don't buy into occupation

H&M Protest in Gothenburg on April 19th

bdshm — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:18:54 +0000

On April 19th 2011, human rights activists in Gothenburg, Sweden, labeled items in H&M stores with alternative price tags carrying the message of the BDS against H&M campaign. The action protests H&M’s continued establishment in the apartheid state of Israel. H&M recently opened new stores in Petah Tikva and Netanya, thus turning a blind eye to massive human rights violations and disregarding the global movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions to end Israels apartheid. H&M’s management would be well advised to take in the ethical ramifications of apartheid in Israel, apartheid in East Jerusalem, and apartheid in the West Bank.

Gothenburg, Sweden

Price tag text in English:

Solidarity 0 EUR

Israel is today criticised more harshly than ever for the occupation of Palestine. At the same time, H&M chooses to open seven stores in that country and thereby fund and profit from the occupation.

We are many who demand that H&M should abort their establishment in Israel. If you also support solidarity with Palestine, you should choose to shop somewhere else. Solidarity is free.

Boycott H&M!

Don’t buy into
the occupation
Check out bdshm.org

Call for action: Protest against H&M opening a new store in Petah Tikva

bdshm — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:00:12 +0000

In the aftermath of the Gaza massacre in January 2009, the management of H&M decided to open seven stores in Israel. Despite worldwide protests and Israel’s massive violations of international humanitarian law, H&M opened four stores in 2010, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Kfar Saba. The fifth and sixth stores in Israel are scheduled for opening on 24 March 2011 in Petah Tikva and 31 March 2011 in Netanya.

The boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli apartheid has clearly informed H&M that investments in Israel are as unethical as investments in apartheid South Africa were. South Africa’s apartheid had three pillars: (1) greater rights for a privileged racial group, (2) segregation of the racial groups into different geographical areas, and (3) bureaucratical and military oppression of liberation movements. Israel today upholds such a system that oppresses Palestinians in Israel and in the occupied territories.

Palestinian citizens of Israel face severe discrimination in all spheres of society. While Palestinians constitute nearly 20% of the population of Israel, they are only allowed to reside on 3% of the land, in segregated and economically neglected villages and neighbourhoods. 4% of the state budget is allocated to Palestinian citizens and half of all Palestinian families in Israel live below the poverty line. 70 000 Palestinians with Israeli citizenship reside in 50 villages that the Israeli state has never recognised and are thus withheld basic necessities such as water, electricity, sewerage etc. Racial affiliation is recorded in the passports of all Israeli citizens.

The call to H&M is made by 58 organisations around the world and protests have been held in tens of countries. These organisations argue that by investing in Israel, while the oppressed Palestinian people are calling for worldwide BDS, H&M makes a political statement that Israeli apartheid is not an unethical business context. In fact it makes the continued occupation and apartheid profitable for Israel and makes H&M’s ethical policy seem like window-dressing. It gives a green light to, for example, the recent complete flattening of the village Al-Araqib in the south of Israel and ethnic cleansing of all its 300 Palestinian residents. In Lod, about 20 kilometers from H&M’s new store, 74 Palestinians have been made homeless after the demolition of their houses. In the West Bank, the villages of Farasiya and Khirbet Tana have been completely demolished.

We urge H&M to follow the lead of Japanese clothes retailer Muji by not opening stores in Israel until the apartheid system is dismantled. And we call on people of conscience around the world to protest against H&M’s fifth and sixth stores in an apartheid state. We do so especially considering the upcoming Land Day and BDS Day of Action on the 30th of March.

H&M Flashmob in Gothenburg on October 31st

bdshm — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 12:56:41 +0000

On 31 October 2010, a BDS flashmob visited the flagship H&M store in Gothenburg, Sweden, to protest against H&M:s establishment in Apartheid Israel. The BDS H&M action is displayed at 3:15 in the video.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5NaD_eJ8O0

Inauguration of H&M apartheid store

bdshm — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:30:03 +0000

[in French at Euro Palestine]
[in Swedish at ISM Sweden]

On 26 August 2010, H&M opened its fourth store in the apartheid state of Israel. To mark the occasion, BDS activists in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 8 September protested outside the local H&M flagship store. The protest theme was a satirical inauguration of the new apartheid store, with an inaugural speech, ribbon cutting ceremony, question competition, checkpoint, and flyers.

Gothenburg, Sweden

Gothenburg, Sweden. Text: Special offer! Buy into apartheid.

H&M will report price tag action to the police

bdshm — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:39:45 +0000

Image by the Local Newspaper in Helsingborg, Sweden

Coup against H&M will be reported to the police

9 September 2010 [original report in Swedish]

Criticized for establishment in Israel – Price tag calls for boycott

HELSINGBORG. H&M is criticized for the decision to open stores in Israel and has been exposed to a coup on the clothing price tags, on which consumers are encouraged to boycott the clothing giant. Now H&M is reporting the event to the police.

Several price tags on different articles of clothing in H&M’s store in Helsingborg have today been exposed to vandalism and a call to boycott the entire brand. A new sticker has been glued on the regular price tag with the message to boycott the store as they plan to open seven stores in Israel.
“We are many who demand that H&M should abort their establishment in Israel. If you also support solidarity with Palestine, you should choose to shop somewhere else. Solidarity is free. Boycott H&M.” This extract is one paragraph of the new “price tag”.

Håcan Andersson, press contact at H&M, knows about the event and according to him the company will file a report to the police concerning vandalism.
- We know that this has been done in a few stores and on a few articles of clothing. We remove the tags in the stores when we discover them. We view it as vandalism and will submit a report to the police, says Håcan Andersson.

Exactly which stores and how many he does not know. Neither does he know how common it is that H&M stores are exposed to this type of event.
H&M also says it has received wishes from customers to open stores in Israel and in a statement from Håcan Andersson they say, amongst other things, the following:
“We lean against authorities like the UN and they do not have sanctions against conducting business with Israel. We also follow the EU’s trade directive. The feedback we have received concerning our establishment is very positive and there has for several years been requests from customers that H&M should open in Israel.”

The boycott [call] in its entirety
“Israel is today criticised more harshly than ever for the occupation of Palestine. At the same time, H&M chooses to open seven stores in that country and thereby fund and profit from the occupation. We are many who demand that H&M should abort their establishment in Israel. If you also support solidarity with Palestine, you should choose to shop somewhere else. Solidarity is free. Boycott H&M”

“That is what they said about the apartheid regime in South Africa too”

10 September 2010 [original report in Swedish]

The network behind the coup against Hennes & Mauritz defends its action

HELSINGBORG. Despite the threat of a police report, the message is clear from the network behind the action against Hennes & Mauritz.
- We will continue this kind of action against companies that do business with Israel no matter what the consequences will be, says one member of Isolate Israel’s local group in Helsingborg.

Isolate Israel is a network of groups and individuals that support Palestine’s struggle for freedom by, among other things, encouraging people to boycott companies that do business with Israel.
- One way to get Israel out of Palestine is to boycott Israeli goods. Our actions perhaps do not make so much of a difference that we can see the change with our own eyes. But we want to raise an opinion for a change in the future, says the member.

Why H&M?
- People must be made aware that they are supporting a company that is opening more and more stores in Israel. By shopping at H&M, consumers are supporting Israel, a country that has been found guilty of many crimes against human rights.

H&M is defending its investments in Israel with the fact that there are no UN sanctions against the country. What is your view on this?
- That is what they said about the apartheid regime in South Africa too, before sanctions were introduced against them. If one supports a country that kills and oppresses, then someone must react, says the member of Isolate Israel.

H&M Protests in Sweden on August 18th and 28th

bdshm — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:56:02 +0000

On August 18th and 28th there were protests in Stockholm and Gothenburg, Sweden, against H&M’s continued establishment in Israel. Activists handed out flyers to customers and informed about H&M’s investment in an apartheid state – Kfar Saba is the fourth H&M store opened in Israel this year – and how it contradicts the global BDS movement aiming to defeat apartheid. H&M turns a blind eye to the blatant discrimination of Palestinians in Israel and to the ethnic cleansing and occupation being perpetrated not far from the new H&M stores. Furthermore, H&M stores in Sweden were labeled with alternative price tags. The new sticker price tags are similar in size and style to the original labels, and carry the message of the BDS against H&M campaign.

Sweden

Price tag text in English:

Solidarity 0 EUR

Israel is today criticised more harshly than ever for the occupation of Palestine. At the same time, H&M chooses to open seven stores in that country and thereby fund and profit from the occupation.

We are many who demand that H&M should abort their establishment in Israel. If you also support solidarity with Palestine, you should choose to shop somewhere else. Solidarity is free.

Boycott H&M!

Don’t buy into
the occupation
Check out bdshm.org

Info in French at Euro Palestine.

Call for action: Protest on August 18th and 26th against H&M

bdshm — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:01:38 +0000

H&M is doing it again!

H&M’s establishment in Israel is continuing. A new men’s department is opening in H&M’s store in Haifa on the 18th of August and on the 26th of August they are opening their fourth store, this time in Kfar Saba. Despite worldwide criticism and Israel’s continued ignorance of international law.

In Sweden, on the 18th and 26th of August actions will be held around the country to make customers aware of H&M’s continued establishment in Israel. We are finding new innovative ways of reaching out to the staff, management and customers of H&M.

We do hope that you all will be able to join us.

Yours,
The “H&M, don’t buy into occupation” campaign

http://bdshm.org/

bds.handm@gmail.com

H&M Flashmobs in Sweden on July 10th

bdshm — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:16:47 +0000

The fifth anniversary of the BDS call was marked in Stockholm and Gothenburg, Sweden, with BDS flashmobs visiting various shops that fund Israeli apartheid – including H&M. Activists were dressed in uniform coloured t-shirts with printed messages “Boycott Israel” and “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions”, and walked in line, silently, through the city streets and shops. More info at BDS Day of Action.

Stockholm, Sweden

H&M Picket in Manchester on July 3rd

bdshm — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 10:37:22 +0000

Manchester, UK

More info at Revolutionary Communist Group.

Alternative H&M Price Tags in Sweden

bdshm — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:13:05 +0000

In June 2010, clothes in H&M stores across Sweden have been labeled with alternative price tags. The new sticker price tags are similar in size and style to the original labels, and carry the message of the BDS against H&M campaign.

Sweden

Price tag text in English:

Solidarity 0 EUR

Israel is today criticised more harshly than ever for the occupation of Palestine. At the same time, H&M chooses to open seven stores in that country and thereby fund and profit from the occupation.

We are many who demand that H&M should abort their establishment in Israel. If you also support solidarity with Palestine, you should choose to shop somewhere else. Solidarity is free.

Boycott H&M!

Don’t buy into
the occupation
Check out bdshm.org