In Govanhill, a grassroots campaign is taking bold steps to boycott brands complicit in Israel’s occupation of Palestine; starting with Coca-Cola. Born from local activism and backed by the global BDS movement, the Govanhill Apartheid Free Zone is rallying businesses and residents to turn everyday choices into acts of solidarity.

By Samar Jamal | Photos by Miriam Ali

“In Bradford you can't be caught anywhere drinking or selling Coca-Cola," Jan explains. “That's the kind of community awareness that leads people to take a stand and advocate for change.”

Speaking to me is Jan Baykra, one of the organisers behind Govanhill Apartheid Free Zone (GAFZ). This is a community-led initiative, which began organising in December last year, working to help the people ‘end their complicity in the Israeli apartheid state and amplify their solidarity with Palestine.’

I sat down with Jan, along with Miriam Ali and Tony Boardman, who are part of a wider team of organisers, to find out more.

Talks for GAFZ were born from a Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) meeting at The Ark, Tony recalls: “Conversations for an apartheid-free zone were going around in lots of places. People were saying different places have tried this, including Aberdeen, as well as further afield in Belfast and Bristol. But we knew it wouldn’t work if just three people were involved. It had to be a community thing.”

Israel’s occupation of Palestine runs deep – embedded in cultural, academic and economic structures worldwide. Govanhill Apartheid Free Zone focuses on the economic front at a local level with two interconnected aims that align with the broader Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement; a Palestinian-led call for freedom, justice and equality, as well as targeted boycotts.

To find out which brands are currently affiliated with Israel’s occupation and why, search the product using the official BDS website for the full list: bdsmovement.net/get-involved/what-to-boycott

*GAFZ poster in the window of a local store*

GAFZ is both encouraging business owners to stop stocking the boycotted products, as well as urging customers to take a stand and avoid them too.

This means thinking about the impact you’re having on the lives of Palestinians when buying something like a can of Coke from your local corner shop.

Reports from WhoProfits (an independent research center dedicated to exposing the role of the private sector in the Israeli occupation economy) reveal that Coca-Cola operates in the occupied territories – and its subsidiary Tabor Winery, ‘produces wines from grapes sourced from vineyards located on occupied land in settlements in the West Bank and Syrian Golan’. As a result, purchasing products made by Coca-Cola contributes to the oppression of the Palestinian people.

Last year, Amnesty International's investigation concluded that Israel is commiting genocide against the Palestinians in the occupied Gaza strip. At the time this article was written, a ceasefire had been announced but it was too early to say if the agreement would be followed through. In the meantime, Coca-Cola and thousands of other brands continue being complicit.

The GAFZ group started by making a brochure, also translated into Urdu, informing shop owners of what BDS is and how they could support the movement by removing certain items from their shelves. It also guides them on the alternatives available to them.

They say that most independent shopkeepers have been receptive to the request. “Around 40 shops have agreed to sign up," Miriam says. When they have not been able to speak to the shop owner, workers have still been able to put up posters, showing their support for the cause. Seeing other shops, like Pakistani Street Food on Victoria Road, sign up has been a positive influence and helped ease worries about profits.

In a linguistically rich area like Govanhill, canvassing has proved to be a challenge at times. Particularly, not having someone at GAFZ who can speak Urdu to the Pakistani community or Kurmanji to Kurdish shopkeepers. It is a gap the group is keen to fill, urging other language speakers to join their efforts.

The next step for GAFZ is to also encourage shoppers to stop buying products that are complicit, particularly from larger stores like Lidl on Victoria Road. If enough people stop buying items it could potentially trigger a similar outcome to that what happened in Ireland last year, when SPSC reported that every Lidl in the country had stopped stocking products made in Israel after a year of campaigning.

But GAFZ wants to emphasise that the work doesn’t stop at the boundaries of Govanhill. The point of GAFZ is to encourage others to canvas in their area. “Boycott is cultural, it's a shared project – an act that we do together. There's no one running the zone. We all live in the zone and operate together,” Jan emphasises. “If you care for Palestinian liberation, then this is a practical way that you can think about that every day and act on it every day."

To become involved in GAFZ, visit their instagram, @govanhillapartheidfreezone or email govanhillapartheidfreezone@proton.me. You can also visit linktr.ee/govanhillapartheidfreezone to find out more.