See our article on Puma’s role in supporting Israel’s war crimes here

Research by Edinburgh Action for Palestine (EA4P) has determined that two Scottish football clubs have kit deals with Puma – Falkirk and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Join us in calling on them to #BoycottPuma until they stop supporting Israeli war crimes. You can write your own letter or use the template letter below. 

Copy & past into Word document to print and post, or copy & post into an email to send.

Post to: Gary Deans, Chairman, Falkirk FC, 4 Stadium Way, Grangemouth, Falkirk FK2 9EE;

or email, marking for the attention of Gary Deans, Chairman marketing@falkirkfc.co.uk,;   Alex Totten, Business Relationships Manager  alext@falkirkfc.co.uk;    Connor Park, Media and Communications Manager.  connor@falkirkfc.co.uk

Post to: Ross Morrison, Chairman, Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC, Inverness Caledonian Stadium, Stadium Road, Inverness, IV1 1FF

Or email, marking for the attention of Ross Morrison, Chairman Admin@ictfc.co.uk

Dear

I understand that your club is sponsored by the sportswear manufacturer Puma.

I am writing to make you aware of Puma’s complicity with Israeli war crimes. Puma is the main sponsor of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which, as documented by Human Rights Watch, includes football clubs based in illegal Israeli settlements on stolen Palestinian land. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

Football has the potential to do tremendous good in bringing communities together, and can be an effective way of delivering social justice. I am sure your club believes in promoting universal principles of equality and wish to uphold the highest standards. This is why I implore your club to boycott Puma.

More than 200 Palestinian teams have called on Puma to end its support for Israel’s military occupation by terminating its sponsorship deal with the IFA. While Puma did reply to the Palestinian teams, it failed even remotely to address the issues raised.

As one of the world’s top athletic apparel makers, Puma’s sponsorship brings international legitimacy to the IFA and helps keep its direct involvement with violations of human rights and international law. Puma is directly supporting war crimes.

In February Chester FC decided not to renew with Puma citing “ethical working practices” among it criteria, in July Luton Town dropped Puma, and Liverpool FC, which was in talks with Puma, opted for another sponsor.

Please do not let your club have its good reputation tarnished through association. Please stand on the right side of history and sever any current or future links with Puma until they stop sponsoring the IFA.

I look forward to your response.

Dear Mr Linehan

Congratulations on assembling another exciting package for the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF).  I would like on behalf of Edinburgh Action for Palestine to make enquiries about the L-E-V Dance Company from Israel.

In 2005 Palestinian civil society called on “international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era.” They also invited “conscientious Israelis to support this call, for the sake of justice and genuine peace.”

Several criteria have been developed for identifying artistic groups and events that should be boycotted (https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi/cultural-boycott-guidelines).  At least two of these criteria are relevant to L-E-V’s participation in EIF 2018.  I quote these criteria below:

As a general overriding rule, Israeli cultural institutions, unless proven otherwise, are complicit in maintaining the Israeli occupation and denial of basic Palestinian rights, whether through their silence or actual involvement in justifying, whitewashing or otherwise deliberately diverting attention from Israel’s violations of international law and human rights.

 A cultural EVENT/ACTIVITY is boycottable if it is partially or fully sponsored by an official Israeli body or a complicit institution.

I hope that, given Israel’s history of human rights abuses against Palestinians, the EIF will have taken the trouble to get this information before booking the company for this year’s festival and that you will therefore be able readily to answer these questions.

Edinburgh Action for Palestine currently understands that L-E-V are boycottable and will continue to do so, unless you can respond otherwise.

Jan Benvie

Dear Mr Linehan

Thank you for your reply to our email about the L-E-V dance company.

The issue we raised about this dance company is not about the ‘nationality, country of residence or ethnic, religious or cultural  background’ of the dancers, the issue is about sponsorship and support from a state which is in breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, in violation of numerous UN resolutions and stands accused of serious human rights abuses by groups including Amnesty International.

Thank you for assuring us that the L-E-V performances in Edinburgh will not receive funding from the Israeli government, however our research shows that the company has received support and sponsorship from the Israeli government over a number of years.

A few examples include:

• As recently at 9 July, 2018, the cultural Facebook page of the Israeli Embassy in the UK wrote of L-E-V’s performance at Sadlers Wells, “We are very excited for #Israelidance company, L-E-V’s ‘Love Chapter 2’.”   CultureIL
• Referring to this same event, Evelyn Coster Deputy Spokesperson at the Israeli embassy in London tweeted “Sadler’s Wells has announced that #Israeli#dancecompany L-E-V will return for a performance- 13th & 14th JULY .@Sadlers_WellsL-E-V-Love Chapter 2” https://twitter.com/evelyncoster/status/976058731120209920
• In Canada in November 2017 the company’s performance at the Babs Asper Theater (The National Arts Centre) in Ottowa was sponsored by the Embassy of Israel in Canada. https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/15920
• In the US in November 2017 the company’s performance in Seattle was promoted by the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest. http://embassies.gov.il/san-francisco/calendar-of-events/Pages/L-E-V-OCD-Love-Seattle.aspx
• In France in June 2016 the company’s performance in Montpellier was supported by the Israeli Consulate in Montpellier and the Israeli Embassy in Paris. http://embassies.gov.il/marseille/NewsAndEvents/Pages/Sharon-Eyal-Gai-Behar.aspx
• In the US in October 2015 the company’s performance in Portland, Oregon was sponsored by the Oregon Israel Business Alliance with support from the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest. https://www.whitebird.org/event/l-e-v-israel/

L-E-V has clearly been happy to accept support and sponsorship over the years from the Israeli state. We believe that under the boycott criteria to which we referred in our previous correspondence, namely that they are ‘complicit in maintaining the Israeli occupation and denial of basic Palestinian rights, … through their silence or … whitewashing or otherwise deliberately diverting attention from Israel’s violations of international law and human rights.’ L-E-V should be boycotted.

We would be happy to meet to discuss this or future Festival events.

Yours sincerely

Jan Benvie

Dear Ms Benvie

In response to your recent correspondence.

The International Festival’s selection of artists does not take into consideration their nationality, country of residence or ethnic, religious or cultural  background. 

Continue reading Linehan’s reply to EA4P 20 July 2018 →