Detroit Demonstration against the Racist State of Israel,August 21, 2008:

Click on image to enlarge it.


________________________________________

The Boycott-Israeli-Goods movement has gathered over 700 Rainbow shoppers' signatures, to boycott Israeli goods.

"RBIG renews request for meeting with Rainbow Grocery"

On the Web site of "Rainbow Boycott Israeli Goods", at:

http://rainbowbig.blogspot.com/2008/08/rbig-renews-request-for-meeting-with_4206.html



Open Letter to Rainbow Workers:


RBIG is a group of workers and shoppers organized to
encourage Rainbow to boycott Israeli goods. After
Israel invaded Lebanon in July 2006, RBIG requested a
meeting with Rainbow about initiating such a policy.
We are renewing our request for a meeting for the
following reasons:

** The month of May is the 60th anniversary of the Nakba-
the zionist expulsion and ethnic cleansing of
Palestinians from their homeland.

** On April 24th the United Nations declared that Israel¹s
embargo of fuel has made it impossible to continue
its food aid program in Gaza, leaving 1-1/2 million
Palestinians without drinking water and food.

** RBIG now has over 700 Rainbow shoppers¹ signatures,
gathered at our weekly tabling, which petition the store
to boycott Israeli goods.

Enclosed is a letter, signed by workers and shoppers who are
people of color, expressing their strong objections to Israel¹s
racist policies and adding their voices to this request for a
meeting.

Also enclosed are the five letters we sent Rainbow over the last
20 months stating our reasons for urging the store to consider
initiating such a boycott.


Sincerely,
Nell Myhand (510)-485-6065
Jean Kuchinsky Pauline
Tom Brown


RBIG

Posted by nell at 3:18 PM

____________________________

"We have taken up the boycott of Israeli goods because the issue of Zionism is first and foremost a racial justice issue."

Photo: Rainbow Grocery Cooperative store, Folsom Street, San Francisco.

People of Color Support Rainbow Grocery to Boycott Israeli Goods

On the Web at:

http://rainbowbig.blogspot.com/2008/08/people-of-color-support-rainbow-grocery.html


5/10/2008


Dear Rainbow Grocery



We are writing as shoppers at Rainbow Grocery who are people

of color. Some of us are in RBIG (Rainbow Boycott Israeli

Goods) which as you know has been asking for a meeting with

the collective since mid 2006. We have taken up the boycott of

Israeli goods because the issue of Zionism is first and foremost

a racial justice issue.

Some of us are fairly new to the Bay Area and some of us have

been Rainbow shoppers since the 1980’s. We shop at Rainbow

because we are fighting for our lives in a racist (and sexist)

system that relentlessly assaults our health and wellbeing.

Rainbow is a very important resource for both knowledge of and

access to healthy living food and other natural supports for

disease prevention and cure. We also believe in and support

the concept of collectives.

We also shop at Rainbow because we expect progressive

organizations like Rainbow be responsive to community and

to take a position and strong action for justice. As you know,

the Palestinians are being subjected by Israel to an apartheid

system where people with darker skins are humiliated and

brutalized every day and treated in a savagely racist way. This

is the 60th anniversary of the Nakba, when Israeli soldiers went

from village to village massacring Palestinians young and old.

Israeli policies of ethnic cleansing and seizure of lands from the

indigenous people are eerily reminiscent of the way Native

Americans were treated in this country.

In the April 2008 issue of Vanity Fair, the role of the Bush

administration in deepening the suffering of Palestinian people,

who are people of color, is presented in great and gory detail.

“Vanity Fair has obtained confidential documents, since

corroborated by sources in the U.S. and Palestine, which lay

bare a covert initiative, approved by Bush and implemented by

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Deputy National

Security Adviser Elliott Abrams, to provoke a Palestinian civil

war.” This article exposes how at the behest of the US

government, Israel has unleashed an unimaginable level of

violence aimed at expelling those Palestinians who can/will go,

and killing/maiming as many people as they dare of those who

remain.

As individuals and organizations (including small businesses)

we must confront the question of what it means if we refuse to

stand with people of color around the world and to protest our

racist enemies’ closest friends abroad. As people of color we

daily, must confront the question, what does it mean for our

struggle against racism that Bush's closest ally is empowered

to do as they like with complete impunity by those of us who

consider ourselves to be anti-racist.

We are adding our voices to those calling immediately for a

meeting with Rainbow to discuss Rainbow’s boycotting Israeli

goods.

Sincerely,

Nell Myhand

Synthia Green
Shirley Yee
Faris Barhoum
Pablo Jim
Samia Shoman
Jahahara Alkebulan Maat
Sharon Lungo
Chris Lymbertos
Lily Haskell
Adnan Hamwi
Sannah Rahim
Phil Hutchings
Jess Ghannam
Happy Hyder
Joyce Umamoto
Ayesha Gill
Chris Mazaleh
Nissor Ahmed
Ali Abong
Patricia Hemphill
Grace Shalhoub

Posted by nell at 3:42 PM

__________________________

How Zionists Fear any Talk of Boycotting Apartheid Israel:

Photo: The Israeli Apartheid Wall, built to starve Gaza to its knees.

______________________________________________

It took 2 months for the Rainbow Grocery Co-op to say... they won't even meet with anybody who wants to boycott Israel--

Rainbow Grocery Declines Meeting with RBIG, Again

On the Web at:

http://rainbowbig.blogspot.com/2008/08/rainbow-grocery-declines-meeting.html


"August 1, 2008

"To: RBIG

"From: Rainbow Grocery Cooperative- Board of Directors
"Re: Meeting request regarding boycott of Israeli Goods


"We received your letter requesting a meeting to discuss a boycott of Israeli products dated May 28th. We would like to take the opportunity to clarify the Board of Directors role within the collective in general and in relation to our boycott policies specifically.

"As you may be aware we are a worker-owned cooperative that does not operate in a traditional fashion. Decision making happens at Rainbow through the democratic efforts of our members rather than in a hierarchical “top-down” manner. The Board of Directors is not a body with the agency usually seen in a corporation. We are charged with the responsibility of overseeing the financial and legal aspects of our collective. Decision making on nearly all levels requires a collaborative effort by both the Board of Directors and the 230 worker-owners who comprise the Membership. Regardless of the desires of the Board of Directors, it is not a body that has the authority to institute any changes that would have a significant impact independently of our Membership.

"Our boycott policies specifically limit the ability of any single body- including the Board of Directors, to institute any boycott or ban. The only responsibility that the Membership has charged the Board of Directors with is the publishing of a statement to the public related to any boycott decision. The Board of Directors cannot institute a boycott, supersede our boycott policies or begin the process of instituting a boycott without acquiring the necessary 20% of Membership to bring the issue to a vote. In short, it is only the Membership, and at that 2/3 of the entire Membership, that can affect a boycott for any reasons.

"For these reasons, we respectfully decline your request to arrange a meeting with the Board of Directors of Rainbow Grocery Cooperative. The only manner in which an outside group such as yours can influence the cooperative to institute a boycott is to take the issue directly to the Membership via a worker-owner who will agree to be the sponsor of such an item and follow our boycott procedure. Any single worker can begin this process, but in the end it is only the 2/3 of Membership that can enact such a decision.

"We hope that this helps clarify our boycott procedure generally and the Board of Directors’ responsibility specifically. If you have any other questions, please let us know and we will do our best to answer them."


Respectfully,
Board of Directors- Rainbow Grocery Cooperative

___________________________________

Demonstration against U.S.-Israeli War on Iran.Obama is "in favor of 20,000 more troops going to Afghanistan, and invading Iran and Pakistan"

"Protesters slam Obama's, Israel's stances on Iran"

August 3, 2008

BY ERICA L. GREEN Staff Reporter
egreen@suntimes.com

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

On the Web at:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1088670,CST-NWS-protest03.article

More than 100 political activists took to downtown streets Saturday to protest any war that would involve the United States and Iran, as the political discourse surrounding that country's nuclear program intensifies.

Representing 18 community and political groups citywide, they marched from the Thompson Center to the Israeli Consulate and the campaign headquarters of Barack Obama, chanting: "We want justice, we want peace. U.S. out of the Middle East!"

Marchers criticized Obama for failing to rule out a possible attack on Iran if negotiations break down on nuclear talks with that country.

They condemned Israel's simulated bombings against Iran's nuclear facilities, reportedly carried out in June.

"You are hypocrites. You're breakers of the nuclear proliferation treaty," Bill Chambers, of the Palestinian Solidarity Group, yelled outside the consulate.

Obama also drew criticism from marchers for recently acknowledging the possibility of an Israeli strike against Iran without offering a peaceful alternative to a potential war in that region.

Protesters said Obama has proclaimed himself the "peace candidate," while displaying indecisiveness regarding the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

"He says he doesn't want a third-term Bush, yet he says he's in favor of 20,000 more troops going to Afghanistan, and invading Iran and Pakistan," said Andy Thayer of the Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism.

Obama's campaign later responded that the senator would continue to encourage Iran to cease its nuclear program.

"A nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to the United States and to Israel, and would threaten a nuclear arms race in the Middle East," a campaign spokeswoman said in a statement Saturday.

______________________________________________

Boycotting Apartheid Israel-- from Dearborn to Ann Arbor:

__________________________________________

"Local activists urge boycott of Israel"

By Khalil AlHajal

THE ARAB AMERICAN NEWS
Dearborn, Michigan

Friday, August 1, 2008

On the Internet at:

http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Community&article=1336

ANN ARBOR — A small group of tenacious Ann Arbor activists have been staging weekly local demonstrations against what they call apartheid in Israel, imploring institutions like the People's Food Co-op to boycott the Jewish state.

Two protestors even made appearances at recent Dearborn School Board meetings, in an effort to encourage Arab Americans to more actively and openly assert themselves on both domestic and international human rights issues.

Activist Blaine Coleman said the group was inspired to appear at the meetings when hundreds of Arab Americans organized and appeared at a May meeting in defense of a high school principal who was facing accusations — which were later withdrawn — of assaulting a student.

"It's been proven that hundreds of Dearborn students and parents will mobilize themselves to defend their rights," Coleman said.

Coleman and fellow activist Mozhgan Savabi appeared at that meeting and two others, carrying large signs that read "Boycott Israel." They intended to speak at the meetings, but were prevented from doing so because, officials said, they did not submit requests to comment at the proper time during the meetings.

Coleman and Savabi feel they were purposely prevented from speaking because of their message.

The group has protested in front of the People's Food Co-op in Ann Arbor on many weekends, because the grocery store sells some products made in Israel.

"I'm Jewish incidentally. I'm horrified at Israel," said protestor Marcia Federbush, 74, during one demonstration in front of the store.

Federbush said she became outraged at Israeli practices in the occupied Palestinian territories after reading several books on the subject including Jimmy Carter's "Peace Not Apartheid."

"I was extremely upset about the way we were behaving in Iraq in 2003. And I started hearing talk about how Israel treated the Palestinians," she said about first becoming involved in the boycott movement.

Some passersby during the weekly protests said the group can sometimes seem overzealous and counterproductive.

"You can't create dialogue with people if the only way is to be adversarial," said local college instructor Sam Rosewig.

He said some signs the group has carried in the past have been overly inflammatory, associating the Star of David with a swastika.

"The only time I see people move toward accepting other people is when they are listened to first," he said.

"If holding a cardboard sign that says boycott Israel is too much," said Coleman in response, "Then what are you supposed to do? Palestinian rights demand that we yell for boycotting the racist state of Israel… You cannot tune your voice to please Palestine haters."

Operations Manager of the Co-op Derek Kiesgen said the issue of boycotting Israeli products was brought to members for a vote, and that it was voted down. He believes the group made their point and should move on.

"We only sell three Israeli products," he said.

Kiesgen said the group should protest at a federal building of some sort, "not a three-aisle grocery store."

"I think everyone's now more against them if they were for them in the beginning."

He said in the past they held signs that read "F___ Israel," but that they have since "toned it down."

He also said he's had to call police on several occasions because of complaints protesters were cornering and yelling at people.

"We would be in prison right now if we cornered anyone," Coleman said. "If you value Palestinian life at such a low level, than you will come up with these excuses."

He did not deny carrying ‘F___ Israel" signs, saying a U.S. Supreme Court decision protects his right to do so.

"If you hide your outrage," said Savabi, "people will think Palestine isn’t very important."

She said for as long as people have been trying to be subtle about protesting U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, things have gotten worse in the region.

"It used to be just Palestine and Lebanon. Now it's Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran… We're dignified people. How long before we say enough is enough?" she said.

"We're getting old and we're dying so if we don't get help from young people, we're in trouble," said Savabi, 49.

Coleman said one main goal of their efforts is to generate news coverage "that will embolden them to fight for a boycott of the racist state of Israel."

___________________________________________

Protest the "Israelization" of Michigan Fairgrounds, August 21, 2008--

(Click on the poster, to enlarge it)

On August 21, 2008, Zionist organizations "will have exclusive use of the State Fairgrounds" to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary.

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit is calling it "A Fair to Remember" (see announcement below). It's a fair to be ashamed of. Following the lead of Palestinian civil society organizations and in view of the multi-faceted oppression that is the reality of Israel, we regard participation in "celebrations" of the Nakba/Israel's establishment as collusion in the perpetuation of the dispossession and uprooting of refugees, the prolongation of occupation, and the deepening of Israeli apartheid.

All supporters of justice and peace can nonviolently protest the "Israelization," as the Jewish Federation puts it, of the Michigan State Fairgrounds.

When: Thursday, August 21, 2008
Time: 5 PM to 7 PM
Where: Michigan State Fair & Exposition Center, 1120 W. State Fair Ave. (at Woodward) in Detroit. Meet in the grassy area just north of the SmartBus State Fair Transit Center off Woodward Ave.

To co-sponsor or get more info, send an e-mail to fairofshame@yahoo.com


___________________________________________



This is the Zionist announcement of their shameless celebration of the State of Israel:

(Click to enlarge it)

It can only be seen as a celebration of the destruction of Palestinian society.

Protest it, August 21, 2008.


___________________________________________