Monday 29 April 2013

Campus rally to protest Max Brenner opening



Campus rally to protest Max Brenner opening



THE University of NSW will tomorrow become the next battleground in the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel, with students due to rally against the establishment of a Max Brenner chocolate shop on campus.
Students opposed to Israel's treatment of Palestinians have vowed to mount a campaign to persuade university authorities to reverse their decision to allow the Israeli-owned chain to set up the shop, which is expected to open in June.
Max Brenner is a brand of the food and beverage Strauss group, which has been a supporter of the Israeli armed forces, including "adopting" a platoon in the army's Golani brigade.
In recent years, BDS protests against Max Brenner shops have turned violent, with one in Melbourne ending in 19 arrests.
Students will protest at tomorrow's rally under the banner of Students for Justice in Palestine, with posters around campus promoting it with the line "Max Brenner publicly supports the displacement torture and genocide of Palestinians" and "Apartheid by the Bald Man", the latter being a play on the Max Brenner slogan "Chocolate by the Bald Man."
The organisers have also established a dedicated Facebook page, which has seen some robust exchanges between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli commentators.
The rally's organiser, computer science student Damian Ridgwell, said he expected a big turnout, with speakers to include Palestinian students and a "Jewish anti-zionist" female student. "The aim is to raise awareness of the campaign for Palestinians to obtain liberation and justice," he said.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff said protesting against a Max Brenner outlet "is as immoral and counterproductive a tactic as is BDS in general".
"It does nothing whatsoever to advance a Palestinian state and is merely a spiteful measure aimed at denigrating Israel," he said.
"As for the appalling racist invective on Facebook which has accompanied this issue, the less said the better." Mr Ridgwell said some Facebook posts did not reflect the views of the organisers.
A UNSW spokeswoman said the lease for the shop on campus "is signed and won't be revoked".
"Based on survey results we expect the store to be very popular with students and staff on campus. Individuals can elect not to patronise the outlet," she said.

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