ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

Austin Against Apartheid unites businesses and customers in a local boycott campaign calling for freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people. The campaign is modeled off of the national No Appetite for Apartheid Campaign, the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, and the Apartheid Free Zones formed throughout Spain.

  • We are asking local businesses to become Apartheid Free. This primarily means refusing to sell or use products that are targets of the campaign, but see our list of ways you can participate below!

  • We are asking consumers to boycott the products on our target list, and to support local Apartheid Free Stores.

  • Join the campaign to stay updated on events at Apartheid-Free businesses to learn more about the history of Palestine and Israeli apartheid, build community, and express solidarity with Palestinians.

By building a network of informed customers and businesses, we can reduce Austin’s contribution to Israel’s illegal occupation. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a boycott help end the occupation of Palestine?

Boycotts are a tried-and-true way to apply economic pressure to companies that are complicit in injustice. The US imported $30.6 billion in goods and services from Israel in 2022—by reducing this number, we can reduce financial support for Israel’s crimes against Palestine.

Boycotts have been used successfully throughout history to effect lasting change, from the Anti-Apartheid boycotts in South Africa to the Delano grape boycott in the United States.

What products are we boycotting?

The BDS movement focuses on targeted boycotts inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the US Civil Rights movement, the Indian anti-colonial struggle, and others. We follow the BDS movement’s lead in strategically focusing on a small number of companies and products for maximum impact. We need to target companies that play a clear and direct role in Israel’s crimes and where there is real potential for impact.

You can learn about our boycott targets on our How to Boycott page.

What does it mean to be an Apartheid-Free Business?

Being Apartheid-Free may look a little different for each business, but at a minimum we ask that you:

  • Pledge not to sell the products targeted by this boycott.

  • Pledge not to use boycott target products personally or at your business.

  • Publicly declare yourself Apartheid-Free. We will provide you with a sign for your space, a logo for your website or social media accounts, and will add you to our list of Apartheid-Free Zones. We ask that you agree to at least one of these.

You can decide how you want to participate beyond that, including:

  • Providing flyers for your customers that link to our educational materials

  • Hosting educational or social events related to the campaign at your business

  • Something we haven’t thought of yet—what does being apartheid-free mean to you? We want to hear it!

A store poster for the Austin Against Apartheid campaign, reading "This is an Apartheid-Free Store"

What happens after I sign the pledge?

If you’re an Austinite who has signed the customer pledge, you’ll get a welcome email from us with some helpful resources. You can stay up to date on the latest stores to join our campaign, and upcoming events, on our Instagram.

If you’re a business owner, we’ll follow up with you soon after you sign to provide you with a poster for your business and a logo for your website. We’ll add you to our list of businesses that have joined the campaign, which is followed by hundreds of Austinites who have pledged to support Apartheid-Free Businesses like yours!

What does this have to do with Austin?

Unfortunately, the United States is intimately involved in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians by giving Israel’s military money and weapons, and by funding Israel’s military through the taxes paid on Israeli imports.