Lidl and Aldi donating revenue to Israel for Gaza campaign?
inminds.co.uk 12 January 2009
Chain emails and SMS's have been circulating calling for a boycott of Lidl and Aldi supermarkets claiming that:
"Lidl and Aldi supermarkets declared publicly on TV from their HQ's in Germany that they will donate all their takings/ revenue to Israel during this war on Gaza."
The public revulsion at the slaughter in Gaza is such that fearing a mass consumer boycott both companies have reacted quickly and issued statements that they do not fund Israel, that the rumours are not true.
Aldi's press release states:
Following the communication of unfounded rumours, Aldi confirms that it does not provide Israel with any source of financial funding or support the Israel – Gaza conflict. Aldi has never declared that it will donate store revenue to Israel during the conflict and any such claims are completely untrue. One of Aldi’s core principles is to remain independent of any political views and situations.
It should be pointed out that whilst Lidl and Aldi may not be sending their revenue to Israel, along with other supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Waitrose they stock fruit and vegetables stolen from the Palestinian occupied territories and exported under the Israeli label Carmel Agrexco. For example both stock israeli sweet potatoes:
Leading Israeli exporter Agrexco is sending a vibrant array of products to the UK this winter.. The UK is Agrexco’s main market for sweet potato exports, ahead of Holland for distribution across Europe, and France. The exporter supplies to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Waitrose, as well as discounters Lidl and Aldi.
"The truth is this is not really an occupation of the West Bank at all, its colonisation - aggressive on going colonisation! There are now nearly half a million permanent settlers in the West Bank. Pristine hill top settlements are omnipresent and canonise the West Bank. What’s more they breed yet more electric fences, moats, Jew-only roads, road-blocks, checkpoints, soldiers - over 500 of them. Imagine if this situation was reversed, if it was the Palestinians doing this to the Jews would the reaction of this government and the world be the same? I don't think so."