Supporters of the Palestinian cause have devised a novel method to boycott Israeli products by subtly promoting mobile applications like the “No Thanks App” for both Android and iOS. This app offers an extensive catalog of items for boycotting, with a specific focus on Israel.
Recently, this movement has gained traction in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. Farhana Suhail, an Instagram influencer who gained prominence after being awarded the Best Influencer of 2022 by the Tamil Nadu Department of Tourism, has begun endorsing such pro-Palestinian apps. She frames her promotion under the guise of supporting local brands.
On 31 May 2024, Farhana Suhail, using her official Instagram handle “newtochennai,” shared a video status demonstrating her utilization of the “No Thanks App” mobile application aimed at boycotting foreign products. In the video, she showcases the app’s functionality, wherein users scan product QR codes to determine whether they should purchase them. If the product is deemed acceptable, the app states, “The product is good for now,” whereas products on the boycott list prompt the message, “No thanks! This product is on the boycott list.”
Additionally, Suhail expressed her personal endorsement of the app, highlighting her recent use of it to identify companies involved in objectionable practices worldwide. She emphasized the importance of being conscious of the impact of one’s consumption choices, particularly in light of injustices faced by innocent children and families in various regions. Suhail encouraged others to join the movement by utilizing the @nothanks_app, stressing the availability of alternative locally sourced brands.
Farhana Suhail wrote, “I’ve been personally using this app recently to identify companies that are supporting inhuman activities around the world. It’s a small step I’ve taken towards being mindful about the impact of the products I consume. What’s happening to the innocent children and their families in camps is unfair! And I wish to show my support for them in whichever way I can. If you’d also like to do your part in this movement, you can use the @nothanks_app All you have to do is scan the barcode of the products you use. The app will give you details on whether the company is supporting unjust activities towards humanity or not. These may be popular brands, but there are so many alternative homegrown brands available in the market for us to choose from. And we kindly request you to refrain from sending us hate messages or hate comments regarding this post.”
“We hope you can take a moment to consider that this issue isn’t about politics or religion, but it’s beyond that. It’s about humanity. It’s about innocent lives suffering. Ahmed BashBash, founder of the app: “I made it on behalf of my brother and my sister who I lost because of this brutal occupation, and my goal is to try to prevent what happened to me to happen to another [person].”
No Thanks App
In November 2023, Ahmed Bashbash, a Palestinian graduate student, introduced a complimentary application named “No Thanks.” Within its first month, it garnered 100,000 downloads, offering a feature for users to scan barcodes and check for any Israeli affiliations of products.
By April’s onset, the application had reached a milestone of one million downloads. The significant increase in downloads, amounting to 900,000 over four months, was partly fueled by TikTok influencers endorsing the app. A statement on the app declared, “No Thanks is not a trend, it’s the new lifestyle.”
“No Thanks” scrutinizes a range of corporations, from McDonald’s to Adidas. The boycott list includes some companies due to their denouncement of the 7th October Hamas attacks, which resulted in the death of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 253 into Gaza.
The application also singles out Israeli startups and entities accused of being involved in the appropriation of Palestinian land. “No Thanks” has been known to assert unfounded claims; for instance, it alleged that Starbucks faced a $12 billion loss owing to global boycotts against Israel. The app’s social media channels feature videos of activists defacing storefronts with stickers of the Palestinian flag.
Since the 7 October 2023 Gaza bombings, numerous international firms, including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Disney, have been targeted by pro-Palestinian advocates urging a boycott over their connections with Israel. The app’s focus is not on Israeli-made products but rather on pressuring multinational companies to sever ties with Israel and marginalize its economy. While Israeli products are scarcely listed, brands like Ikea, Nike, Unilever cosmetics, and Hellmann’s mayonnaise are included.
Boycott justifications provided by the app are derived from news reports or brand websites indicating Israeli associations. These reasons range from sales within Israel, and collaborations with Israeli tech firms, to donations to Israeli entities. Even expressing a pro-Israel stance can be grounds for inclusion on the boycott list.
For example, Mars bars are listed due to the brand’s partnership with Jerusalem Venture Partners and investments in Israeli food industry startups. Starbucks is cited despite lacking Israeli outlets because its ex-CEO Howard Schultz invested in an Israeli cybersecurity firm. Nickelodeon, under Paramount Studios, is boycotted for the parent company’s condemnation of Hamas’ actions in southern Israel. “No Thanks” advocates boycotting Disney for its initial war-time donation of $2 million to Israeli groups like Magen David Adom. The app, available on Google and Apple stores since November, was created by Ahmed Bashbash, a Gaza-born resident now in Hungary, and is promoted by pro-Palestinian influencers on TikTok and Instagram. By early April, the app had surpassed a million downloads.
Within the app, Bashbash articulates that boycotts are a valid protest method to influence corporations, inspired by the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, especially after his brother’s death in an Israeli airstrike on 31 October 2023. Previously, in 2020, his sister passed away after being denied a visa for medical treatment outside Gaza. Additionally, Bashbash seeks donations through the app, where merchandise like kaffiyehs, Palestinian flags, and slogan-bearing T-shirts are sold. The app indicates that proceeds are directed to Palestinian charitable organizations.
The emerging pattern of discreetly challenging the legitimate government while advocating for HAMAS, a internationally recognized terrorist groups, and deliberately urging multinational corporations to disengage from Israel, thereby marginalizing its economy is alarming.
Farhana Suhail , an instagram blogger from Chennai who talks about what to do here in the city, urges people to boycott brands that has anything to do with Israel in the name of " support local brands" ,by using the nothanks app.
The nothanks app was created by Ahmed,to… pic.twitter.com/qggX9l1guH
— krithika sivaswamy (@krithikasivasw) May 31, 2024
(With Inputs From Haaretz)
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