Minutes from meeting on May 29

[A O]

Hi all

Below are the Minutes for Marrickville BDS group Sunday May 29.

Remember that Friends of Hebron will be running the Festival of
Friendship on 18th June at Leichhardt Town hall. Tell all your friends
about it. http://hebronleichhardt.wordpress.com/fof2011 BDS is the
theme for the day.

We Need to distribute leaflets promoting the event, so please get back
to us if you can help.

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NEXT MEETING: Date: Sunday 26 June 2011, 3pm at Tom Foster Community
Centre in St Peters

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=11+darley+st+st+peters+nsw&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1-11+Darley+St,+Newtown+New+South+Wales+2042,+Australia&z=16



MINUTES

I.Introductions

II.Report back
Conference – BDS workshop had ideas from Brisbane, Adelaide and
Melbourne, Adelaide has two groups working together and advises that
people with other agendas are welcome but should not push their
individual political barrows
Working with fringe political groups – a policy needs to be worked
out, a transparent set of dot points


Consumer Campaign
Options from last meeting –
1. pick a focus (product x)for a campaign or
2. produce a consumer guide

1.R raved on about Caterpillar at Parramatta, it was suggested that
not many people buy Caterpillar tractors, he also suggested Seacret
and another cosmetic without a name, and that 972 barcode is not seen,
and citrus in small shops, and dates in some shops, actions in the CBD
are not as successful as in Parramatta and security in shopping
centres is high.
N – thinks when we advertise a boycott we should offer an alternative
– have a good list as well as a bad list
V – what are the issues, what brings us together, what is easy to
argue, a
M– build on the obvious injustice eg AHAVA, in her research that it is
difficult to find out what Australian companies are doing in terms

2.
A1: noticed that people come from far and wide not just Marrickville,
should we be supporting whatever is organised elsewhere.
R says we should try to help each other that it is only one group and
everyone is close and the best we can achieve is to go to just one
point.
A2 from Stop the War and Flotilla group came in at 4pm
R about Seacret in Pitt Street

3.A proposed a timeline of an action that could be done every two
weeks
4.M concerned about putting Australians out of work
5.The point is more awareness raising than aiming to put companies out
of business
6.Two possible targets seem to be Max Brenner and Seacret
7.Could this group be a support resource for people who want to
organise action in different parts of Sydney?
8.J suggested an action outside a Max Brenner at Newtown or Broadway,
could then go to Manly.
R said one leaflet would be ok for both. A2 said we are guerilla type
activists and can stretch too much. Last year did not have enough
people to keep the campaign going. We need to involve media; Newtown
is a good target because of the demographic.
9. V understands focus on Max Brenner but asked about other types of
action
10.J explained possibility of legal actions against companies which
label


Decision on consumer orientated street actions vs strategic legal
strategies to be further discussed next meeting.


18 June Friends of Hebron Leichhardt event; focus on education; BDS
the theme for the day.
12.00 Starts at Leichhardt Town Hall, Norton St.
1.00 official opening
3.00-4.30 film “Return to Gaza”.
4.30-6.00 BDS forum; This will be about Information and canvassing
different views. Not strategy.
6.00-8.00 music and food.

We Need to distribute leaflets promoting the event.
Flotilla; need workers including during the flotilla. See it as part
of BDS.

Next meeting;
Unanimous that meetings continue. Good location.