Starbucks smashed and looted as anti-Israel protests turn to violence

[cali]

Source: The Telegraph


Two London branches of coffee chain Starbucks were smashed and looted when protests against Israel's military action in Gaza turned to violence.

By Alastair Jamieson
Last Updated: 10:57PM GMT 17 Jan 2009

Riot police surrounded up to 240 demonstrators in central London, many wearing scarves covering their faces, who broke away from a rally in Trafalgar Square at about 5pm.

Up to 200 were tracked by a police helicopter as they ransacked the coffee shops in Piccadilly and Shaftesbury Avenue while 40 more were contained in Hyde Park, thought to be on their way to the Israeli embassy in Kensington.

The United States coffee chain has recently been the subject of an internet boycott campaign amid claims it donates profits to Israel – an accusation it strongly denies.

Commander Bob Broadhurst, in charge of public order policing for the Metropolitan Police, said: "Once again what we have witnessed in London today is a group of thugs, who are not interested in lawful protest, run through the streets smashing shops without care for the alarm they caused the public.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/is... -

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File this under stupid and counter-productive. Way to taint and delegitimize peaceful protest against Israel's actions.

[Ken Burch]

1. Trashing a Starbucks over Israeli treatment of Palestinians

Makes as much sense as...well, trashing Starbucks over the Global exploitation of workers(although, if you're interested in that in conjunction with Big Mermaid, you should support the Industrial Workers of the World in their campaigns to organize Starbucks' franchises).

The only real reason Starbucks should be trashed is that it's coffee is overpriced and, well, sucks.

[cali]

2. Agreed. Awful, awful coffee

Shocks me that anyone thinks it's good stuff.

[Kolesar]

7. slow morning in paradise...eom

[HopeHoops]

10. Some people equate "high cost" with "high quality"

[Bette Noir]

14. That's a matter of opinion.

I think Starbucks coffee is delicious stuff. Of course, I haven't had any in years, because it's stupid expensive, but I remember my first cup of Starbucks like an alcoholic remembers his first drink. The heavens opened and the angels sang.

[Ken Burch]

31. I've heard there was a major drop in quality...the usual "cost cutting" approach to business.

n/t.

[HopeHoops]

39. I've only had it about twice, when it was the only thing available. A small house was almost $2.00!

Oh, and when I asked for a small house blend, the "dude" behind the counter said "you mean a <whatever stupid word they use that sounds like it means "big"> house specialty blend?" I responded, "no, I mean small, as in that small cup and the cheapest type of coffee". The stuff at 7-11 or UniMart is much better.

My wife was waiting for one of the kids to get out of the bathroom at a PA rest area and overheard a woman ask "So, how much was THAT one?" and her husband responded "Only twelve dollars". She took a look at the menu and tried to figure out how you could possibly rack up $12 for one cup of coffee and was shocked to discover that it wasn't all that difficult.

I think The Onion really got to the truth of the matter with their article "Starbucks opens first Starbucks in restroom of a Starbucks".

If you want REALLY good coffee, buy a bag of whole bean anything (under $10/lb), a $14 grinder, and either get distilled water ($.79/gal) or run tap through a drip filter jug - and MAKE IT YOURSELF in drip coffee maker! I won't be at all shocked to hear that Starbucks is closing all of its stores the way Circuit City is doing. High price doesn't mean high quality - it just means high price.

[hoboken123]

42. You do know Dunkin Donuts coffee is about the same price, right?

Here in NJ they charge within ten cents of each other, yet I've never heard throngs of people complain about how expensive DD watered down coffee is.

[cobalt1999]

9. Emotional protesters, just not very smart ones

In fact, so stupid their opinions should be ignored.

[ohio2007]

24. ex employees no doubt

[grassfed]

26. Explanation of the Starbucks Boycott pdf

http://www.aqsa.org.uk/Portals/0/Leaflets/LF_24_Boycott...

[Posteritatis]

32. Can't have a proper protest these days without vandalizing something unrelated

I'm sure it's in the rules somewhere, possibly in between "there's nothing violent about destroying property" and "government men in black are really responsible for everything illegal that protestors do."

[Ken Burch]

33. "government men in black"? you mean like this?

And how do the Worm Guys figure into this?

[TomClash]

3. Dumb

Very dumb and completely useless. But lawful protest has little impact on Israel.

[cali]

4. yeah, but lawful protest against Israel

does have an impact on public opinion, I believe. And so does unlawful protest.

[Possumpoint]

5. From The View Point Of The Shop Owner

Shoot the stupid SOB's! There goes my living.

[ohio2007]

25. but the shop owner is a symbol of

the Bourgeoisie
so the proletariat are well within their rights to destroy private property....

now pass the cinnamon sugar

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. how true.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[GoesTo11]

12. Anyone see the parallel?

[ohio2007]

21. you talking about this ?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Bette Noir]

13. Think they just wanted coffee?

[JohnyCanuck]

15. As per the following aritcle in The Guardian,

I think we should always take into account the possibility that agent provocateurs are sometimes used by governments, even in democracies, to foment violence and mayhem in order to discredit protesters and their cause with the wider public. Of course their is no way of knowing at this stage if this vandalism against these two Starbucks outlets was the work of agents provocateurs but it would, I think, be naive to discredit this notion out of hand.

Retribution and revenge
A recent interview by Italy's former president sheds light on on of the most secretive periods of the country's history

The extract below is from a recent interview with Francesco Cossiga, the former president of Italy, published in the Quotidiano Nazionale. He was asked what the current head of the interior ministry, (home secretary and therefore in charge of the police) Robert Maroni, should do about the recent demonstrations by students and teachers against proposed funding cuts in schools and universities.

"Maroni should do what I did when I was secretary of the interior. He should withdraw the police from the streets and the universities, infiltrate the movement with secret (provacateurs) agents, ready to do anything, and, for about 10 days, let the demonstrators devastate shops, set fire to cars and lay waste the cities. After which, strengthened by popular consent, the sound of ambulance sirens should be louder than the police cars. The security forces should massacre the demonstrators without pity, and send them all to hospital. They shouldn't arrest them, because the magistrates would release them immediately, but they should beat them up. And they should also beat up those teachers who stir them up. Especially the teachers. Not the elderly lecturers, of course, but the young women teachers."

SNIP

Hence the interest in the recent interview, which sheds light on one of the most secretive periods of Italian history - the so-called "strategy of tension" that began with the 1969 bombing of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Milan (carried out by the far-right and blamed on anarchists) through to the events at the G8 summit in Genoa in July 2001 where the mysterious "black-blok" group created the mayhem and destruction which brought forth the police violence against thousands of anti-globalisation protestors.

The Italian authorities will no-doubt tell us that the words of Cossiga are the result of his rumoured Alzheimers. I prefer to read them as tragic. I believe that Cossiga is persecuted by the Erinyes, the Greek goddesses of retribution, because blood draws blood.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/24/com...

[juno jones]

19. Facinating article.

Thank you.

[MinM]

38. Austin-based agent provocateur Brandon Darby, Mary McFate...

Other recent examples:

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/6/prominent_austin_a...
http://minnesotaindependent.com/21846/texas-activist-tu...
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/01/05/fb...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...


http://journals.democraticunderground.com/MinM/114
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/MinM/115


http://journals.democraticunderground.com/MinM/68
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[truth2power]

16. Well, there ya' go...

I read the OP and comments, and decide to post on why my BS detector went off as soon as I read the OP, saying "Something is wrong with this picture. Provacateurs?" Even before I read others comments on same.

So, I go to see if my coffee has finished brewing, pour me a cup and return, and Voila! all the provacateur posts are gone!

I'm not even going to bother explaining, because this post will disappear, too. Um, um. Wouldn't be prudent to discuss certain things. I can only say I've learned to trust my "What is wrong with this picture?" reactions.


edit> I see one of the posts is still up. There were other mentions.

[ima_sinnic]

17. I'd like to comment

but know that my comments will not be allowed

[ohio2007]

23. nice screen name

deleted sub thread

[No Elephants]

18. I bet Starbucks is just thrilled about Congress's

NON BINDING resolutions supporting Israel. They need to stop. They represent us only insofar as they have Constitutional power so to do. They don't have Constitutional power to make foreign policy, nor do they have training or expertise so to do. They ned to stop. Please tell them so.

[ohio2007]

20. they should trash MacDonalds...they sell Latte also !

Ronald MacDonald House is part of contributes to zionist charities

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[killbotfactory]

27. Hell, property destruction?

Now that's a tragedy.

[ohio2007]

28. it gets Juan Valdezs' water boiling enough to plant his foot up some ones

but, in the future, the reason for the vandalism will be revised and called 'anti globalization' freedom fighter protests.

looks like some people will have the day off work.
with no pay

[grassfed]

29. see post #26

[Leftest]

30. I like The Coffee Bean

[RCinBrooklyn]

34. The "group of thugs" is getting bigger and bigger. Their called "angry citizens sick of this shit."

[Javaman]

35. Cinnamon shakers!!! give me the cinnamon shakers or I'll break your face!!!! nt

[sufrommich]

36. What the hell does Starbucks have to do with Israeli policy? nt

[dysfunctional press]

37. try reading the post before responding next time, perhaps...

"The United States coffee chain has recently been the subject of an internet boycott campaign amid claims it donates profits to Israel – an accusation it strongly denies."

[sufrommich]

40. I did read it.The chairman of the board is Jewish and supports

Israel,apparently good enough reason to smash windows.

[johnhannahthree]

41. amid claims?

by whom? Coffee Bean? Someone made a claim!! It must be true! jeez. Let's go smash some shit because someone made some unsubstantiated claims. Isn't that what happened in Iraq?