Eye witness report of latest Brenner BDS incident
Anti-Israel protesters have once again targeted the Max Brenner chocolate store in Melbourne’s inner CBD. Michael Burd was there and reports for J-Wire…
from Michael Bird, Melbourne.
On the weekend, I attended another anti-Israel rally once again targeting the Max Brenner chocolate store as the boogie man. This appears to becoming a regular event now . The main organisers/sponsors were Students for Palestine and radical Socialist Alternative along with Socialist Alliance, Green Left Weekly, Maritime Union and the Geelong Trades Hall council.
My estimate of numbers is between 300-400 protesters and 80-100 police involved between the State Library and the 2 Max Brenner outlets.
The bulk of protesters displayed banners and balloons and distributed propaganda. Protesting were Socialists, Muslim Arab community members including , Palestinians , Sudanese, Somalis, Ethiopians and a group of multicultural activists.
Some of the speakers had been arrested a few weeks ago at the first Max Brenner protest and were out on bail. Some said they were quite proud that they had been in jail and brazenly told reporters how badly they had been treated by the police and how they were being silenced by the Zionists. One of the main instigators, James Crafti, a radical anti- Zionist Jew who works very closely with the Palestinian activists told the audience how evil Israel and Zionism were. James said that in 2006 he was arrested by the Israeli Government for protesting in ‘Palestine’’
The protest started outside the Victorian State Library at 5 pm in a party atmosphere complete with balloons in Palestinian colours and speeches from the organisers. Maritime Union secretary Kevin Bracken, Sarah Harris, Students for Palestine, James Crafti, and South African activists who compared Israel with apartheid South Africa. Muslim singers and entertainers also spoke about the evil Israelis.
They told the audience that amongst their supporters were Americans Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein and Israeli BDS groups
The media was represent by the ABC and SBS together with print media who interviewed the speakers. No Jewish community representatives were present as far as I could see and therefore no alternative views were aired. Only the anti–Israel side was presented to the media and onlookers.
Some of the Pamphlets and posters read’’ Max Brenner proudly supports the Displacement Torture and genocide of Palestinians’’
After about one hour at the Library the protesters marched to the first Max Brenner store where police were waiting. They spent around 30 minutes chanting their slogans before leaving for the second Max Brenner store around the corner where they did the same thing. This caused major disruption to both Melbourne Central and QV shopping centers .
Police handed out pamphlets which warning that would arrest troublemakers. Their pamphlet was titled ‘’Boycott Apartheid Israel Rally’’
There were no violent incidents
The good news was both Max Brenner stores were full of customers and remained very busy regardless.
I dont have any idea what Otto Waldmann is saying BUT I think I do agree with him!!!!!!
Otto, we need to speak to them in simple terms that they will understand. Only then will they see the real facts and the unfortunate blinkered distorted view they currently have.
My experience has been that if I ask these “demon-strators” when was the last time they met a Palestinian. or when did they last visit the West Bank or Gaza or when did they last see what really is happening on the ground in Israel, the answer to every question is “NEVER”.
I attended the hate fest outside Max Brenner,but spent a considerable time outside talking to two local women,who were disgusted and dismayed with the behaviour of the mad mob screaming anti jewish rhetoric and also vented their displeasure with the Greens,whom they blame for the disunity occurring in Australia
Allright, how can I resist such charm !
Actually the main reason I “succumbed” toyour manifest need to stay engaged in controversy is not the actual acute condition but the very fundamentals of it. It simply means that the motivation behind your mechanics seem so irretrievably an aberration that ANY intention to correct them would fail, so might as well offer you the “benefit” of putting your incongruous modulations onto a rational path,not that I would succed,but what the heck, we are here to evince “humanity”, involving generosity and pitty. (bluster enough ??!!)
Today we shall articulate the term “ethnical cleansing” on the West Bank by the ferrocious Zionists.
Introcing at the outset always a hyperbole in the most emphatic manner, addressing sensibilities of established appeal, will guarantee focus of attention by the targeted audience.Details follow in a succession of “facts” which, in the dynamics and context of the political monologue are not readily veryfiable. Considering that one has already attracted a mob willing to listen to criticism of Israel, a condition that could be active or latent, then anything that touches on established prejudice amplifies the negative sentiments and joins in the chorus of acceptance of the said hyperbolae as “elementary” and “evidenced” reality = TRUTH.
If rationally looked at, however, how on earth are the Zionists CLEANSING the West Bank and specifically of WHAT !!!!! The Arab population has increased six fold since 1967 in that part of Jewish traditional land and the Jewish population still consists some 5% of the said cleansing process !
One principle which is consistently missing from your mob’s “ideological”construct is that your beloved palestinians are ALLOWED to reject any Jewish presence in their midst while the State of Israel houses with FULL CIVIL, POLITICAL RIGHTS over ONE MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND ARABS as part and parcel of its demography/democracy.
How many Jews are there in the Palestinian Authority type of parliamnet, because I can tell you how many Arabs are in the Jewish Knesset. A small and pedestrian detail not worth mentioning !!!!
In obvious practical terms you and your comrades are defending palestinian intollerance of Jews aming them, a racial rejection that is not only not so cleverly avoided in your “arguments” but one that forms the very basis of inconsistency between the declared desire for peace by your palestinians and their polarised determination to destroy the basis of peace and coexistence between to seemingly conflicting parties. So,it is OK for palestinians to reject Jews they call “settlers”. Syddenly they have created a farcical term that automatically makes ANYBODY unacceptable.A”settler” Jew NO GOOD ! A ‘non-settler” Jew , then, OK ??!! And where should a non-settler Jew be allowed to reside among the friendly, peacefull and tollerant palestinians !!! I know, Rhov Ben Yehuda, Tel Aviv and even that on a provisional basis untill the new Palestinian State arms itself well enough to change the “demographics” !!
Wanted an argument, you, now, have it.
I also want , in retort, strict reference to my points and not a torrent of verse, rhyme and non-sense from the book of Hamas concocted “truth”.Show me some semblance of dialectical decency !
Great Otto! Bluster descends into gibberish! Not argument!
whoever answered me above:
Considering that criticism acts as correction cum improvement,I am not going to tell you where you are so badly absurd that even your mates at Hamascentral would “discipline” you !
Otto! Great language! Now it would bolster your case if you could argue that Israel is not ethnically cleansing the West Bank and imposing a seige on Gaza. And MB is not supporting the military do this! facts are Zionists’ weakest point.
Waldmann does a lot more than eating at MB. Waldmann consumes with gusto for breakfast feeble and defficient pathetic intrusions by perversely acquired names, such as “hasbaracentral”.There is a lot to “hasbir” about purveyors of hate and destruction posing as “fair minded”,what was it , “political people with a conscience”, a severe case of incongruous self-elevation of importance and “values”. These politically consciencious people should be bent on reading uni. text books and acquire some useful social skills instead of being bent on parading Nazi practices in the name of a cause from which they can only extract its natural venom.
Twenty one, hey,….quite an achievement !!!!
Wladmann is welcome to eat more at MB. The real issue is political, people with a conscience will boycott MB. People not aware of Israell’s ethnic cleansing of Palestine wiill learn about it. At least twenty new persons become aware of the issue every time there is a protest.
Generally I enjoy sitting on the fence, however after much monitoring of current protests. I am a little disheartened that everytime I try to have a logical argument on the middle east I see painted generalisations… I do fail to see what is supposed to be achieved in the method of current protests.. Besides good advertising..
I am a supporter of peace for the middle east in general… however I feel its not possible with current views from its occupants. no matter the side.
Lastly whatever your belief.. may we all recieve some wisdom and guidence to solve such differences.. however I still remain on my fence maybe also now wondering what it would taste like to drink some zionist chocolate… possibly drooling a bit over the thought…
Been thinking !!
Our communal leaders aren’t that bad, after all.
I can only imagine that, to teach all those demonstartors outside Brenner’s a lesson in toughness:
– Peter Wertheim washed down FOUR hot chocolates, SIX crunchies with cream, EIGHT chocco sticks, quite a reccord,considering that back at his old job, actually his old mate Steven was, in FACT,in charge with chocolate ice cream cases, and he, Peter, was responsible for the “Vanilla Legal Department”.
– Yair Miller took charge of SIX hotties, NINE ecclairs, ELEVEN chocolate chips, TEN chocolate maccaroons, all in FOUR minutes FLAT.Not so flat the top 50 consumer/leader and only a few trckless of the drink seen on his shirt but NONE seen arround his cleverly hairy adorned mouth.
Poor Vic ended up with a generous spray of hot chocolate on his face,suit,necktie and the rest due to the voluble reaction Yair had at one of Vic’s stand-up comedy acts. The case of sometimes your jokes turning against you….
With such resolute strategies of combating the BDS how can we or WHAT can we lose ???!!!
The two comments are appropriate. Thanks too to Michael Burd for the report. I am concerned about two matters. One expressed by Otto regarding our sha shtil, supine leadership. The second is the request by the police that we Jews should forfeit our right to mount peaceful counter-demonstrations out of fear that our enemies will turn violent. That we obey, indicates that they have won this round. What further freedoms will we have to forfeit in the future to ease the situation of our constabulary and their political masters who are desparate to maintain the pretense of social harmony and quiet?
Oh yeah Richard., Tell that to the Israelis. What kind of people send suicide bombers into cafes schools and bus stops to kill and maim countless Jewish children and civilians? What kind of people fire 8,000 rockets into a neighboring state and then use their own people as human shields and whine when that state responds? What kind of people go into civilian households and murder almost a whole Jewish family and decapitate a toddler. Palestinians are that kind of people. They do that to Jews and it doesn’t seem to bother you! I wonder what kind of people would not be bothered by that?
Well may all these demonstrators waste their time unchallenged all over our CBDs,subburbs for, ACCORDING TO THE HOCHMA OF OUR COMMUNAL LEADERS, SOME BEING TOP 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL AUSTRALIANS, the demonstrators are only HURTING THEMSELVES !!!
According to the report above, chocolate was flowing rivers, Brenner was packed, in addition I bet coockies were being crunched between customers’ loyal, heroic and determined teeth,thus serving the ridiculous demonstrators from all those composite student, tradies, geshmate clowns mobs the most inspired, highly original, highly effective and highly collesteroled retort !!
The other Sydney report about the Brenner Backslap mentioned that some National and State Jewish leaders were also seen at Brenner’s Bondi Junction with muggs in their firm grip sipping the same elixir of wisdom, chocolate the drowning retort to all those laughable posters and irritating numbers in their hundreds.According to a Jewish leader’s assessment, all these demos are elliciting EVERYBODY’S disdain. People were seen looking at the demonstrators in disgust and that alone is the solid signal for our leadership to refrain from indulging in stupid counter demostrations. Just as Israel has been traditionally turning the other side of their slapped faces without returning force with force, creating an IDF only for military parades and songs and dances, so should our local leaders refrain from anything that may upset their chocolate filled precious stomachs which are strictly relying on an undisturbed digestion of a morphology completely devoid of SPINE not to mention real sechel ( brains in Ivrit ).
Famously, we fight the enemies we create and fail the fight with the leaders we tollerate !!!!