Fay Waddington, a long-time activist in the Palestine solidarity movement in Brisbane, held a free give-away of “Mohammed Brenner chocolates” to passersby in Boundary Street, West End, on September 24.
Waddington and other supporters have held a regular weekly Palestine solidarity stall there every Saturday morning for several years, ever since the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006.
Waddington, a Socialist Alliance member, issued a statement to Green Left Weekly, describing the action as “a Chaser-inspired take on the Max Brenner brouhaha” in Australia over recent months.
She said: "The chocolate give-away, tongue-in-cheek called 'Mohammed Brenner,' is intended as a vehicle to engage with people" about the reality of the oppression of the Palestinians by Israel.
Waddington explained that "it was only after she became involved with refugee rights at the time of the Tampa incident in 2001, that she became aware that the Palestinians and their descendants are the largest single group of refugees in the world".
“A majority of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes in the 1947/48 Israel 'War of Independence,' known to the Palestinian people as Al Nakba, or The Catastrophe," she said.
"Over the years of the Palestine Solidarity Stall in West End, passersby are often surprised to learn that many of the displayed books are written by Jewish authors, including Israelis. Illan Pappe's The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, and Jeff Halper's, An Israeli in Palestine, are such examples.
"We have also shown DVDs, such as Anna Blatzter's Life in Occupied Palestine. Anna is an inspirational Jewish American woman, who is an ardent supporter of the controversial BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions) campaign,” she said.
Waddington hopes “to make more people aware of the BDS campaign through the chocolate give-away, and encourages them to visit the Australians for Palestine website, www.australiansforpalestine.com, to find out how they can embrace the campaign".
Supporters of Palestine can also visit www.justiceforpalestinebrisbane.org