BDS victory over pro-Israel corporate GIANT shows the power boycotts can have

A recent BDS victory over corporate giant Carrefour has shown yet again how powerful the actions of ordinary people can be in opposing Israel’s genocide and apartheid.

BDS Carrefour victory

French supermarket chain Carrefour is one of the biggest earners in the world. And the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement calls it a “genocide enabler” due to its partnership with an Israeli company profiting from the many crimes of the Israeli state.

On 5 November, the BDS movement announced that campaigners in Jordan had forced Carrefour out of the country:

After a large scale & creative boycott campaign that contributed to huge financial losses & reputational damage, Majid Al Futtaim Group, the partner of @Carrefour in most of the Arab region, announced the complete termination of its commercial dealings with Carrefour in Jordan. pic.twitter.com/sVt6eAbIWe

— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) November 5, 2024

It explained that the “large scale and creative boycott campaign” had helped to generate “huge financial losses and reputational damage”.

This came on top of a previous victory, when a popular brand of coffee in the country closed 13 branches in the supermarket giant’s stores.

The holder of the previous Carrefour franchise in Jordan, however, also operates in a number of other Arab countries, including Lebanon. So the struggle against Carrefour in the region is only just beginning.

Tip of the iceberg

The BDS Carrefour victory comes after Pret a Manger pulled out of an expansion in Israel earlier in the year. As the Canary previously reported, in 2022 UK coffee chain Pret a Manger signed a franchise agreement with Israeli conglomerate Fox Group and restaurant operator Yarzin Sella to open 40 stores in Israel over the next decade.

However, after sustained pressure from the likes of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, it was reported that Pret has gone back on this agreement, worth millions of pounds, and will not open Pret stores in Israel. The company told the Canary it was nothing to do with BDS. Make what you will of that.

In short, despite political efforts around that world seeking to repress the BDS movement, many campaigners are keeping up the good work. And they’re getting results.

Featured image via the Canary