Testy Tesco

To: customer.service@tesco.co.uk
Subject: RE: Tesco Customer Service
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 23:10:50 +0000

Dear Sirs

Thank you for your reply which I appreciate.

To the extent that Tesco stocks products sourced from Israel I applaud you; to the extent that Tesco have a policy of identifying products from

“the West Bank state either “produce from the West Bank (Israeli Settlement Produce) or “Produce of the West Bank (Palestinian Produce)”

I am gravely concerned.

Firstly, there is no geographical or political entity called the West Bank. The area of Israel to which Tesco refers are the provinces of Judea and Samaria.

Secondly, Judea and Samaria are not a state but a part of Israel.

Third, Tesco does not identify in this way the location of the producers of goods from any other country. Will Tesco now identify products sourced:
• from China, a country with the most appalling human rights record of all as being where relevant from Occupied Tibet;
• from Saudi Arabia a country with an appalling human rights record by reference to its proximity where relevant to the separation-wall with Yemen,
• from the Turkish-occupied Arab province formerly part of Syria,
• from the Turkish-occupied Kurdish provinces where poison gas has been used against Kurdish civilians in the 1980s and 1990s
• from the Turkish-occupied provinces ethnically cleansed of Armenians and Greeks in the 1910s and 1920s
• from the Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus which is not recognised by the United Nations
• from the United States by reference to the proximity to the electrified border-wall with Mexican
• from the State of California occupied since 1848 following a wholly illegal war against Mexico,
• from Russia by reference to the autonomous region of Chenchynya
• from the United Kingdom by reference to Northern Ireland a region of the United Kingdom in which a substantial minority of your customers are unhappy with its constitutional basis?
If so, why not?

Fourth, and most disturbingly Tesco does not identify the religious and ethnic identities of the producers of goods from any other country. In the context in which the words “Israeli Settlement Produce” appear, the only meaning attributable to Israeli Settlement is Jewish. Settlement is a pejorative term and connotes colonialism. Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria are not colonies. Colonies and their remnants are the preserve of European former superpowers like Britain, the country in which Tesco is head-quartered and in which until the 1960s colonies were still largely accepted and whose army fought many popularly-supported wars in order to defend. By contract, Jews have lived continuously in Judea and Samaria for over 3,000 years.

In the context in which the words “Palestinian Produce” appear, the only meaning attributable to Palestinian is Arab/Muslim. To identify the religion, ethnic and political persuasions of your suppliers is an invasion of privacy, discrimination and outrageous. To put this in context, will Tesco now identify goods sourced from:
• Northern Ireland by reference to the religion or political persuasion of the farm or factory owner, manager or the predominant religion of the district in which the goods are produced. Can we look forward to the legend “Produced on a Roman Catholic-owned farm staffed by Presbyterians in Newry”;
• Bosnia by reference to being Serb/Orthodox, Croat/Roman Catholic or Bosniak/Muslim produced;
• China by reference to membership of the Communist party
• England by reference to the religious or political identity of the factory owner(s). Can we look forward to the legend “Produced by Methodists in Newcastle” or “Produced by members of the Church of England who are also supporters of the Conservative Party from Basildon”;
• Serbia by reference to membership of an anti-Croat paramilitary group?

I have no doubt at all that for Tesco to identify the producers of goods in this way, by reference to their religious and ethnic identity is religious and ethnic discrimination, unlawful and in breach of the law of England and the European Convention on Human Rights. Tesco will sooner or later be forced to comply with the law and remove the discriminatory and unlawful references to

“Israeli Settlement Produce..... Produce of the West Bank.....Palestinian Produce”.

I would urge Tesco to show this e mail to its legal advisers. I hereby call on Tesco to confirm that these unlawful and illegal references will be removed from all products and publications distributed by Tesco by close of business on Friday 8 April 2010.

Yours sincerely


Brendan Ringrose