Ottawa still boycotting Chapters/Indigo and Israeli Apartheid

The beat goes on ...

On Saturday, January 5, Ottawa's downtown branch of Chapters Bookstore was once again the scene of a protest and public education campaign against Israeli Apartheid and the financial and moral support given to it by the CEOs of Chapters/Indigo.

About 400 people happily took the pamphlets proffered, and a number paused to discuss.


The weather was just a tiny bit below freezing, so the properly dressed did not suffer. The mood was upbeat and the turnout was very good for a regular event of this kind (every two weeks).


In fact, it was warm enough to risk putting further strain on the digital camera, and the core group, those who were there throughout the whole event, were happy to pose:


But - ooops! - the Chapter's sign didn't appear in the photo, so here's another try:


Oops! again. Getting back far enough to include the whole sign meant standing on the road behind the row of news boxes, and one of them got in the way of the NION web address. And that's ba-a-a-a-ad. People were shocked at how my photography skills have slipped, and only Providence prevented me from slipping on the slushy road.

The following attempt, done by bending backwards and almost fracturing my spine, is still not perfect sign-wise, but is an excellent illustration of human nature. By now some people had drifted away, and the rest were looking pretty bored with the whole process:


The rest of the group clearly preferred to get back to what they came for - educating the public. And that's go-o-o-d. The event was so successful that the store managers found yet another pretext to bring in the police. They alleged we were blocking passage to their door, but the police, after observing with their own eyes that this was not the case, walked amiably back to their vehicle, and remained there throughout:


We all took Chapters' pique as a sign of our effectiveness, In a similar light, the highspot of the day was the whoop of delight and high fives all around for Leah after she received her first "f*** off" from a passerby and weathered it with decidedly good grace.

Bad public sentiment is actually a rarity at these events, and now that there are signs (big thanks to those who made and held them up high) easily seen from the road, honks of approval from passing drivers are being heard.

I was personally gratified that a skeptical man's willingness to consider the issue further was sparked by my mentioning that Desmond Tutu had likened the Israel/Palestine situation to South African Apartheid. Which shows there is antipathy in general to Apartheid conditions, and great respect for those who were instrumental in getting the story of South African Apartheid out to the world.

This is why public education is so vital. When the noisy backlash goes finally silent, those who cried "Israeli Apartheid" when it was not fashionable to do so will also be remembered with respect.

Here are some links that lead to my earlier reports and photos, plus access to organizing websites, flyers and other resources.

Dec. 15 Freezing in front of Chapters Bookstore
Dec. 01 Another Saturday another Chapters picket
Nov. 16 Chapters boycott continues to gain momentum
Oct. 20 Chapters/Indigo boycott continues in Ottawa

The Chapters picket in Ottawa is a broad coalition effort, the main organizers of which are the local branch of NION and Canpalnet-Ottawa.

The next picket is scheduled for 1 PM on January 19 at the corner of Rideau and Sussex. If you are in Ottawa at that time, please join in.