On November 22, groups in more than 20 cities across the world, from Launceston, Tasmania to Toronto, Canada, joined the Boycott Reebok Global Day of Action.
They took the message from 367 Palestinian sports clubs are calling to boycott Reebok over its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which is directly complicit in Israel’s decades-long apartheid regime and, more recently, its Gaza genocide.
The IFA includes in its official leagues teams based in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land and advocates, together with the Israeli government, to maintain them.
The IFA recently created the “Reservist League,” 32 teams and hundreds of soldier players who have served in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The IFA has also dedicated matches, and IFA clubs have organized “care packages” for these same Israeli soldiers.
Groups across the world took action at Reebok resellers, shopping centers, and football matches. “Pocket drop” flyers from Anti-Sweatshop Activists Against Apartheid and the Clean Clothes Campaign were placed inside Reebok apparel. Those who had already purchased Reebok gear “rebranded” it with the boycott message.
Ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the message was clear: Reebok is the Worst. Gift. Ever.
Video appeals were shared widely on social media, including from the mother of young Palestinian footballer Aysar Safi, who was killed by Israeli soldiers last year in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, and from among the ruins of Palestinians sports facilities in Gaza, with a message from Mohammed Dawas, a Palestinian goalkeeper who lost his leg in Israel’s genocide.
Fair fashion campaigner and influencer Venetia La Manna also shared a video while making a “foul and filthy” football cake calling to boycott Reebok.
A rolling #BoycottReebok tweetstorm took place across time zones and Reebok’s customer service and inboxes were jammed.
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre wrote to Reebok's parent company Authentic Brands for the second time this year. For the second time, Authentic Brands failed to even respond. Reebok and Authentic Brands can't ignore us.
The day of action has concluded, but our campaign to pressure Reebok to drop the IFA sponsorship, just as we successfully pushed Adidas, PUMA and Erreà before them, is only just beginning. We can do this again. We won’t stand by as companies like Reebok profit from helping to sportswash Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and its decades-long apartheid regime.
Continue to take action and join our campaign: [email protected]