European court rules against French conviction of BDS activists
The European Court of Human Rights ruled that boycotts are protected forms of protest, saying France erred in convicting activists of incitement to discrimination for asking people stop buying Israeli products.
A European human rights court ruled today against a conviction by a French court of supporters of the boycott Israel movement.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled that members of a boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) group in France did not violate the European Convention on Human Rights' article against discrimination.
The court said in a press release that the conviction “lacked any relevant or sufficient grounds.”
The BDS movement calls for various forms of boycotts against Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. The movement hopes to pressure Israel into withdrawing from the Palestinian territories and into accepting Palestinian refugees from abroad, among other objectives. The movement supports boycotts of Israeli companies to this end, as well as boycotts of Israeli academic institutions and concerts in Israel.
