Domino’s were relegated to the outskirts of Tent City last week as a consequence of OUSA’s internal pro-Palestine Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) commitment. Denied a tent site, the pizza joint handed out free keychains on the Cumberland Street sidewalk instead.
Behind the scenes, OUSA President Liam White confirmed to Critic Te Ārohi that the Executive has decided to follow a BDS list for internal commercial dealings. The global economic and political movement “aims to end international support for Israeli violations of international law by forcing companies, institutions and governments to change their policies,” according to BDSmovement.net.
In practice, the BDS movement places pressure on Israeli forces by boycotting (withdrawing commercial or social relations), divesting (ridding oneself of investment) and sanctioning (punishing, often at a global level) Israeli or Israeli-connected organisations in support of Palestine. OUSA doesn’t have any investments, but they do collaborate with companies for events like last week’s Tent City.
Former President Keegan Wells told Critic last year about the Exec’s intentions to follow the movement. “OUSA has endorsed [BDS] for our in-house staff. We obviously know it’s the right thing to do,” she said, explaining that the biggest implications would be for events like Tent City that invite vendors who could be on the list. “We won’t take advertising from them,” said Keegan.
Given brands pay for their sites, the Exec’s position meant that turning away the likes of Domino’s meant potentially hefty financial consequences. While Liam refrained from telling Critic Te Ārohi the true cost of the decision, he said that there were some within the student association who were “pissed off” at him when they found out the number. “Because it was a lot of money.”
BDS lists can differ depending on the criteria. The list that the Exec are following is a graphic created by BDSmovement.net – notably one that doesn’t list Domino’s as BDS-endorsed. However, an article posted elsewhere on the site does describe Domino’s as “complicit” by remaining silent when their branch in Israel supported the genocide, hence their exclusion from Tent City.
The decision didn’t come without disappointment from the Fatty Lane pizza joint. A Domino’s spokesperson told Critic Te Ārohi they’d been at Tent City for the last three years and have “always enjoyed being part of this vibrant community gathering.” But for “reasons unknown” they were ghosted from the invite list this year. They showed up anyway – carefully skirting the edges of the official event site.
Liam admitted to Critic Te Ārohi that OUSA had a suspicion that Domino’s would show up. “They had been really enthusiastic about trying to get a site, it was really good last year apparently,” said Liam. After some confusion around the rules of ‘touting’ (selling shit in public) and whether Domino’s were allowed to be there, DCC became involved and confirmed that yes, with the appropriate permit it was all by the book. “Domino’s will need to secure the appropriate permit in order to tout in the area in the future,” said the DCC.
There is a remaining question as to whether it is fair to ‘punish’ one New Zealand-based franchise owner, who is potentially entirely unsupportive of the genocide, for wanting to give out free food and possibly employment opportunities to our students. Students Thalia, Bella, and Sharee discussed with Critic that “we have to be conscious that [the North D franchise owner] may not be directly associated with what’s happening in Palestine [...] I see the intention from OUSA, but also, if they really want to support Tent City, and they really want to do this for everyone, then there should be some kind of compromise.”
When asked about this argument, Prez Liam told Critic Te Ārohi that “it’s just important now to keep the pressure up on businesses that are supporting Israel. Do I think the owner of Domino’s Dunedin is complicit in the genocide? I actually don’t. Do I think Domino’s the corporation might be? Yeah. I really can’t think of any other way to send a direct message to Domino’s as a boycott.”
From Domino’s perspective, they said, “Our local franchise partner is in the business of pizza, not politics. He intends to continue to support the students of Otago University, if not at this event, by supplying them with pizza vouchers, student discounts, and employment applications. Domino’s Dunedin North remains dedicated to supporting local initiatives and will continue to serve the community."