Take the Pledge: Give PUMA the Boot Until It Ends Support for Illegal Israeli Settlements

Let Puma know you will respect the call from Palestinian athletes to #BoycottPuma until it ends support for illegal Israeli settlements pushing Palestinian families off their land.

JOIN INTERNATIONAL DAY: JUNE 15th–Give PUMA the Boot!


Breaking NEWS as RAPTORS Go Into Game 5! and NOW WIN the NBA championship!


Raptors Danny Green!  is sponsor of PUMA. 

Tweet to him at @DGreen_14  #BoycottPuma


Let Puma know you will respect the call from Palestinian athletes to #BoycottPuma until it ends support for illegal Israeli settlements pushing Palestinian families off their land.

Tweet the pledge to give Puma the boot! 

Tweet on INTERNATIONAL DAY

Puma is the only international sponsor of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which includes teams in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

Puma’s endorsement gives legitimacy to Israel’s illegal settlements pushing Palestinian families off their land and its attacks on Palestinian sports. Israeli snipers ended the careers of dozens of Palestinian athletes in Gaza in 2018 alone.

Palestinian teams and athletes are calling for a boycott of Puma until it ends its sponsorship of the IFA.

Puma’s own assessment of its human rights track record identified “sponsorship activities” as one of its “weak spots.”

Give Puma the boot! Join social media actions or write to Puma today!

Tweet the image above and post on Facebook and Instagram

TAKE THE PLEDGE:

Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) campaign: on the BDS National Committee website: https://bdsmovement.net/boot-puma


In Canada we have sent the following letter:

Attention :  Mark Maguire, Senior Vice President Sales & Country Lead Puma Canada


PUMA Canada

Attention: Senior Management

355 Admiral Blvd, Unit 4
Mississauga, ON L5T 2N1  


copies to: Communication Executives, Kerstin Neuber and Rober Bartunek, Berk Communications, and Customer Service.  Please ensure copy goes to Mr. Maguire, & the Canadian team of PUMA.

Dear Mr. Maguire, PUMA Canada


We write to your as Canadians concerned that Puma sponsors the Israel Football Association (IFA), which includes teams in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land in violation of international law.

Puma’s endorsement of the IFA gives legitimacy to Israel’s illegal settlements pushing Palestinian families off their land.

As long as Puma sponsors teams in illegal Israeli settlements, we will respect the call from Palestinian athletes to boycott Puma.  We ask you to do the same.
We ask Puma Canada to recognize that the majority of Canadians are calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions related to the illegal acts of Israel.  
The 2017 EKOS poll showed 

  • Canadians believe overwhelmingly that sanctions are a reasonable way for Canada to censure countries violating international law and human rights,
  • Given the UN Security Council’s recent condemnation of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, a strong majority of Canadians believe that government sanctions on Israel would be reasonable
  • In the context of Israel’s ongoing violations of international law, a very strong majority of Canadians believe that the Palestinians’ call for a boycott of Israel is reasonable, and
  • Far more Canadians oppose than support Parliament’s February, 2016 decision to condemn individuals and groups who promote the Palestinian call for a boycott of Israel.

Surely removing PUMA’s support for IFA  is not only the ethical, moral and legal step to take, but also good for business.  

We expect that people across Canada, along with those around the world will be making this very clear to Puma as we move towards International #BoycottPuma Day of Action, June 15, 2019.


We would be pleased to meet with you and members of your team here in Canada to discuss.

On behalf of the Canadian BDS Coalition
(over 30 member groups across Canada)

www.bdscoalition.ca

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE

to: k Maguire , Sr. Vice President Sales & Country Lead Puma Canada
mark.maguire@puma.com,

Copies to:
customerservice@puma.com,
robert.bartunek@puma.com,
puma@berkcommunications.com,
kerstin.neuber@puma.com
bdscoalition@gmail.com

snail mail

 PUMA.com
355 Admiral Blvd, Unit 4
Mississauga, ON L5T 2N1

Tweet: @pumacanada

OR call PUMA at 1-888-565-PUMA (7862).

Collective action works! Earlier this month, thanks to thousands of you, UNICEF announced it does not support the EuroAsia Interconnector electricity cable plugging Europe into Israel’s illegal settlements. Let’s do this again!

Let’s convince Puma to live up to its claim of supporting equality and social justice!


FOLLOW UP WITH PUMA:

We received response from Mr. Maguire and also from PUMA communications in Germany on June 11th saying:

Thank you for reaching out to PUMA.

PUMA supplies the Israeli National Teams via a local distribution partner to compete in international competitions, and the football club Hapoel Beer Sheva through the end of the 2018/19 season. To claim we have any other official connection or association be it to the Israel Premier League, the Japanika League, or any other Israeli club team is incorrect.

Broadly speaking, PUMA continues to support and outfit athletes from all backgrounds, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation and national origin. As a brand concerned only with the power that Sport has to bring people together, PUMA does not support any political direction, political parties or governments. Our devotion to universal equality is aligned with the fundamental principles of our #REFORM platform.


We welcome the opportunity to help everyone compete in sports no matter who they are or where they are from.

We responded with the following and await response:

Thank you Kristina and Mark for your timely response.


Would you please clarify your response.  Are you saying that there is no support of any kind that goes to the  Israel Football Association (IFA)?  You mention that  support does go to  Israeli National Teams.  Which teams are these?  You also mention support to football club Hapoel Beer Sheva.  As well, you mention NO support goes to the Israeli Premier/Japanika League. .
Would you please clarify and make a definitive statement that NO support has gone to the Israel Football Association.


The Israel Football Association has teams in Israeli settlement in occupied Palestine, which is part of the territory of the Palestinian affiliate.  This is occupied territory under international humanitarian law (the Fourth Geneva Convention).   The international call to PUMA is to  withdraw support to the Israeli Football Association until it withdraws teams from these illegally occupied land. If there has been no support to the Israel Football Association in any form from PUMA including through local distribution partners we would welcome that news. It is not clear in your message that this is the case, so we would appreciate further information in this regard.  If PUMA is announcing its withdraw of funding from the Israel Football Association through your correspondence would you please make this clear, and also indicate if you will be making a public notification in this regard.


See:  https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/01/10/fifa-must-take-strong-stance-against-israeli-settlement-clubs


Save the Date! International #BoycottPuma Day of Action, June 15, 2019



TAKE ACTION



Raptors Danny Green!  is sponsor of PUMA. 

@DGreen_14 

See: https://www.thestar.com/sports/raptors/2019/03/09/why-the-raptors-are-ankle-deep-in-the-shoe-business.html


Perfect time to tweet lots!  Also, post in message on his FBhttps://www.facebook.com/DannyGreenNBA/  

Tweet to Raptors, and NBA as well.  Include messages on those tweeting/ posting about Raptors! including @JohnTory #JustinTrudeau @Raptors @NBA #WeTheNorth


Be sure to tag @BDS_Coalition  @BDSMovement  #BoycottPuma
Retweet from @BDS_Coalition 



Further Actions:


1.  What Athletes and Other Sports Figures in Canada, professional, amateur or local can you be in touch with who will publicly support BDS?  Who in your own community that is involved in sports (or other leadership, cultural roles)?  


2.  Canadian figures that have or have had PUMA sponsorship. 

Tweet, FB, email them.  Make it clear they are supporting a company that aid war crimes.  Tweet to them!

Graham DeLaet

@GrahamDeLaet

Andre De Grass

@De6rasse

Goat lord

@the weeknd

If you can find others be sure to let us know to include

.3.  Store carrying PUMA in Canada


@SportChek


@hudsonsbay

@footlocker

Tweet, FB, email, go into local stores, etc.  Let them know carrying PUMA is not cool, and that they are not with majority of Canadian.


Let us know about other stores carrying product, and any feedback you receive.

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