[Boycott - Cultural] London Protest Asks Jinjuu Restaurant Not To Participate In Brand Israel #AparthiedRoundTables Propaganda Event
inminds 11 November 2018 Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
On Friday 9th November 2018, Inminds human rights group protested outside Jinjuu restaurant in Soho, to ask its owner and head chef Judy Joo, to cancel her scheduled participation in an Israeli government sponsored propaganda culinary event 'Round Tables' in Tel Aviv next week, and to respect the Palestinian call for a cultural boycott of apartheid Israel.
Inminds chair Abbas Ali said "We are here to urge Judy Joo and her team to stand on the right side of history and be remembered as honourable people who put humanity before profit and stood up for the oppressed. But make no mistake, if they choose to help whitewash an apartheid regime then there is a price to pay. In trying to 'clean' Brand Israel their own names and brands will suffer damage as appeasers of racism and apartheid."
THE PROTEST
The protest went very well. The public showed great support and eagerness to know more, hundreds of leaflets were taken in no time. One person with a big backpack was starring at the banners for a full 5 minutes reading each word. When given a leaflet, he told us that he was homeless, he had gone through a lot in his life, but he couldn't imagine what the Palestinians were going through.. he didn't know about their suffering until now.. after reading the leaflet he came back to us and asked - and they [the Jinjuu chefs] do this every year[go to support Israel] knowing whats happening there? How can anyone do that?
The restaurant manager got very upset, initially he claimed the whole pavement was private, belonging to him and we weren't allowed there, we told him if that's what he believed then he should call the police. Then he threatened to remove our banners by force until he noticed each banner had its own gopro camera filming any tampering. So he rushed back into his restaurant and instead sent people out to take photos of our protest and banners. Then he claimed we were blocking his entrance.. then he demanded we turn the protest music off.. and it went on like that until the end of the demo. Clearly our protest had achieved key objectives of educating the public, whist riling the restaurant to sit up and take notice of us.
CULTURE AS PROPAGANDA
Culture has always been an important weapon in the Israeli government’s public relations campaign. The Israeli Foreign Ministry's Deputy Director General Nissim Ben-Sheetrit announced in 2005 that "We see culture as a propaganda tool of the first rank, and I do not differentiate between propaganda and culture", and in 2006, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an multi-million dollar initiative called “Brand Israel,” whereby culture is used to whitewash an apartheid state founded on the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and occupation of their land.
Round Tables Tel Aviv is part of this Brand Israel propaganda initiative to show case Tel Aviv as a cultural hub, with leading chefs, by their participation, becoming ambassadors of this propaganda. Already their pre-event propaganda has Judy Joo endorsing Tel Aviv as “having the best falafel in the world” - a traditional Palestinian food which is misappropriated and marketed as Israeli.
Jinjuu restaurant's head chef Judy Joo is flying to Tel Aviv courtesy of the Israeli foreign ministry's propaganda Brand Israel project, there she will cook at Tel Aviv's David and Yossef restaurant. Tel Aviv is built on the ethnically cleansed, stolen land, of the Palestinian town of Jaffa and 9 other Palestinian villages. Today over a million Palestinian refugees (15% of the total) can trace their origin back to Jaffa. The survivors of that ethnic cleansing will not be permitted under Israel's apartheid system from entering let alone eating at David and Yossef restaurant.
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
IN THE SHADOW OF GAZA
Judy Joo will be cooking in the shadow of starving Gaza, which is less than 40 miles away. Israel has imposed an illegal 11 year land, sea and air blockade on Gaza. Documents from Israel's defence ministry revealed that Israel uses a meticulously calculated cold-blooded calorie count to limit food entering Gaza to enforce a starvation diet on Gaza where people are always starving but not quiet dead from starvation. Over half of the people of Gaza are children under 15 years old. When hungry Gazaan's go fishing in their own waters, their boats are attacked by the Israeli navy and their fishermen are abducted. Israel sprays toxins over Gaza farm land to ensure no crops grow; and has imposed a 'no-go zone' across 17% of Gaza , much of it farm land - farmers are shot if caught farming their land. Oxfam reports that 96% of fresh water in Gaza is unfit for human consumption; and the United Nations reports that 72% of the households are food insecure, that by 2020 Gaza will become uninhabitable.
APPEAL FROM PALESTINE
Palestinian workers', women's and farmers' associations have urged international chefs including Judy Joo to cancel their participation in Round Tables 2018 in Tel Aviv. Their open letter reads:
We, the undersigned workers’, women's and farmers' associations, appeal to chefs to cancel their participation in Round Tables 2018, scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv from November 9-23. It is an attempt to whitewash Israel’s grave violations of Palestinian human rights.
Several world-renowned chefs withdrew from previous editions of the culinary festival, sponsored by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, after learning of the festival’s agenda.
This year, the festival is using a feminist facade, through its “female edition” theme, to cover-up Israel’s decades-old system of occupation and apartheid. Palestinian women bear the brunt of this system’s crimes and are doubly marginalized as a result.
The festival is partnered with companies involved in grave violations of Palestinian-- and Syrian -- human rights. Golan Heights Winery, Dan Hotels, and Argal Services Company all operate businesses in or that serve Israel’s illegal settlements, built on stolen land. Such settlements constitute war crimes under international law.
Round Tables claims to promote “cultural, economic and political dialogue through gastronomy,” while 72% of Palestinians besieged in Gaza are food insecure.
Israel, in fact, calculates the number of calories needed to bring Palestinians in Gaza to the brink of starvation. These calculations are a basis for Israel’s siege. As reported by BBC, in 2006, Israeli government adviser Dov Weisglass said, "The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger."
Israel’s occupation snipers have recently killed over 150 unarmed Palestinian medics, protestors and journalists, including many children, in Gaza as they protested for their basic rights under international law. Amnesty International condemned Israel’s shoot-to-kill-or-maim policy.
That is why we, with the majority of Palestinian society, have called for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a nonviolent strategy to pressure Israel to respect our basic rights. It is inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement and the US Civil Rights movement.
We urge you to cancel your participation in this festival. Regardless of your intentions, Israel’s far-right regime will use your participation to mask its crimes against our people.
We sincerely hope that we can share our table with you after we are free from military occupation and apartheid.
Until then, we appeal to you to respect our struggle for freedom, by declining your participation in this festival.
Sincerely,
General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW)
General Union of Palestinian Workers
Union of Palestinian Farmers
General Union of Palestinian Peasants
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
APPEAL FROM FELLOW CHEFS
Three chefs have already listened to this call and made an ethical decision to withdrawn from this year’s Israeli government sponsored 'Apartheid' Round Tables Festival. This includes Chef Gabrielle Hamilton, owner of Prune in New York who was awarded the James Beard award for best chef in NYC in 2011 and for outstanding chef in 2018; and Chef Ana Roš of Hiša Franko in Slovenia who was crowned "The World's Best Female Chef 2017" by The World's 50 Best Restaurants.
More than 85 chefs, food writers and food industry figures have written an open letter urging the remaining 5 chefs, including Judy Joo to withdraw from Israel’s Round Tables culinary propaganda festival.
Their letter reads “It is not too late for you to make a principled decision. We know the challenges of changing plans, the work that goes into events like this, and the contracts that are signed. We also know that none of this is as important as the protection of human rights and lives.
We are inviting you to respond to the Palestinian women, farmer, and worker organizations who have asked us for support and their Israeli allies taking a stand beside them.
You have a chance now to join Gabrielle Hamilton in detaching your name from this Israeli government-sponsored culinary event. In doing this, you can assert that our values around good food must include everyone, including the Palestinian people.
We hope you will not allow your cooking skills to be used to cover-up apartheid and military occupation.”
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
Leaflet given out at protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
FURTHER INFORMATION
Last years protest: London Protest Asks 'Little Social' Restaurant Not To Participate In Brand Israel #AparthiedRoundTables Propaganda Event
http://inminds.co.uk/article.php?id=10775
Apartheid is Always Bitter! A Palestinian Appeal to Chefs to Withdraw from Round Tables in Tel Aviv
https://bdsmovement.net/news/apartheid-always-bitter-palestinian-appeal-chefs-withdraw-round-tables-tel-aviv
Open Letter To Gabrielle Hamilton & Other Chefs In Israel's Round Tables Festival
https://bdsmovement.net/news/open-letter-gabrielle-hamilton-round-tables
International Chefs Pull Support from Tel Aviv Food Festival After Widespread Protest
https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/xwjzpn/round-tables-festival-tel-aviv
Chef bows to BDS pressure, cancels Tel Aviv culinary event
https://www.timesofisrael.com/chef-bows-to-bds-pressure-cancels-tel-aviv-culinary-event
From Israeli citizens to international chefs: Cancel your participation at the Round Tables food festival in Israel!
https://boycottisrael.info/node/360
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
Protest outside Jinjuu Resturant in Soho, London asking head chef and owner Judy Joo to withdraw from Apartheid Israel propaganda event Tel Aviv Round Tables #AparthiedRoundTables
Source: www.inminds.com
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