14 March — Samidoun Palestinian Solidarity Network, the Palestinian, Arab and international network in defense of Palestinian political prisoners, issued a video statement of solidarity and call to action in support of Olivia Zémor, the president of CAPJPO-EuroPalestine, who is facing trial in Lyon, France, for posting information in 2015 and 2016 about the campaign to boycott TEVA, the generic pharmaceutical manufacturer that is the largest Israeli corporation by market value.
Samidoun’s statement noted: “The trial of Olivia Zémor reflects the alliance of Israeli capitalism and the French state in seeking to suppress and silence advocacy for Palestinian rights and liberation…TEVA’s profits have been accumulated on the back of the colonization and exploitation of the land and people of Palestine. Now, TEVA is joining hands with the French state to aggressively seek to shut down and silence international voices of conscience for exposing corporate complicity and profiteering from the Israeli occupation regime.”
Samidoun activists in Palestine, Canada, Sweden, France, the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain participated in the solidarity video.
Samidoun joins numerous groups, movements and coalitions in France and around the world to take a united position in defense of the right to boycott and in support of Palestinian liberation. Dozens of organizations have issued statements and organized events and actions in support of Olivia Zémor, including nearly all organizations advocating for Palestine in France, including AFPS, BDS France, and the many organizations that issued a unified call to action; Collectif Palestine Vaincra in Toulouse, France; Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine in Belgium, alongside many other Belgian organizations; Boykot Israel in Denmark; the Canadian BDS Coalition; the South Africa BDS Coalition, and many others.
On Tuesday, 16 March, supporters of justice will gather outside the court in Lyon, France, for a solidarity demonstration at 1:00 pm to stand together with Olivia Zémor against this unjust prosecution.
We urge supporters of Palestine around the world to share this video and your own solidarity messages online – and deliver a letter of protest to a French embassy or consulate near you. Send us a link or your photo at samidoun@samidoun.net! Visit your French consulate or embassy and make it clear: The boycott of Israel is not only a right, it is a duty. Solidarity with Olivia Zémor — and solidarity with Palestine!
Please note: Because TEVA is a generic manufacturer, there is almost always another option at the pharmacy. Ask your pharmacist for a generic made by another manufacturer to help spread the word, build solidarity and boycott TEVA!
Download solidarity posters and read the full statement: https://samidoun.net/2021/03/boycott-teva-solidarity-with-olivia-zemor-defend-the-right-to-boycott/
The text of the video is below:
On Tuesday, 16 March, Olivia Zémor, the present of CAPJPO-EuroPalestine in France, has been summoned to court in Lyon. What is she accused of? Supporting and promoting actions calling for the boycott of Teva, the Israeli pharmaceutical company.
As the Zionist state continues to intensify its brutal policies of racism, colonization, apartheid, mass imprisonment, land confiscation, and siege, we must take action. Developing campaigns to boycott Israel is an important popular response to oppose these crimes.
Supporting Olivia Zémor is supporting the legitimate right to boycott Israel and to fight back against the criminalization and repression of the Palestine solidarity movement in Europe and around the world.
Teva is the largest commercial entity on the Israeli market by operating income and market value. Its profits are built on the colonization of occupied Palestine and funds and sustains the Israeli economy of exploitation.
We stand with Olivia Zémor. We stand with the Palestinian people and their right to resist until return and liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.
Boycott Teva! Boycott Israel! Free Palestine!
