French opposition lawmaker calls for boycott of companies supporting Israel

By Seyma Uzundere and Esra Tekin

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) – French opposition lawmaker Thomas Portes on Sunday denounced Israel for "genocide protected by the European Union and the USA" and urged people to boycott companies that support Israel and its attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Thomas Portes, a member of the Left Unbowed France Party (LFI), highlighted the increasing civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis in Gaza due to Israel's attacks and called for a boycott of companies that support Israel.

Portes, a prominent figure in LFI who is known for his support for Gaza in France, shared a poster on his X account featuring logos of companies that should be boycotted.

The poster featured numerous logos, including those of a well-known sports shoe brand, supermarkets, and insurance companies, along with slogans such as "Boycott apartheid Israel," "End the forced evictions of Palestinians," and "The right of return is for Palestinians.”

“New night of horror in the Gaza Strip. New night of death for Palestinian children. Israeli war criminals continue their genocide protected by the European Union and the USA,” Portes added on X.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

More than 31,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and 73,676 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.