Thread by @AshAgony

Pret A Manger recently said they’re opening 40+ stores in Israel. So on January 12, multiple groups went into NYC Pret A Manger stores, liberated shelves full of sandwiches, & redistributed them to people in need.

“Hit ‘em where it hurts, and don’t stop until Palestine is free!”

Here’s their communique:

“Ready to eat? Ours for the taking!”

“On Friday January 12, multiple autonomous groups staged a coordinated strike against Pret A Manger stores within the belly of the beast, so-called New York City (occupied Lenni Lenape land) […]”

“[…] and liberated shelves full of sandwiches to redistribute to our communities and people in need.”

“Pret A Manger recently announced plans to open more than 40 stores on occupied Palestinian territory, or so-called Israel, positioning its CEO and shareholders to directly profit from the ongoing zionist aggression against Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.”

“This small act of rebellion was inspired by the ‘merry band of miscreants’ who liberated food from a Whole Foods last month.”

“Like Whole Foods, Pret A Manger profits from items that have been harvested, prepared, and cooked via a long supply chain of exploitation and extraction from people and land.”

“As people starve on the street under capitalism from the US to Palestine, Pret A Manger is profiting off of exploited labor and lining its pockets with blood money made from the mass murder and displacement of Palestinians.”

“This food belongs to the People, and by liberating it from Pret's blood-soaked shelves, we are simply returning it to the People.”

“Genocide profiteers like Pret A Manger benefit immensely from settler-colonial mythology which seeks to assert that Palestinians have no claim to their homeland, and are ‘harming’ or ‘misusing’ the very land they have spent generations tending and cultivating.”

“Zionist propaganda insists that a corporate strip mall built on the ashes of a once-thriving city is ‘progress,’ and a Pret A Manger is more beautiful than a centuries-old olive grove.”

“Around the globe, Pret A Manger steals time, resources, and life. From the farmworkers whose labor they exploit, to the service workers whose wages they steal, Pret is no stranger to theft.”

“Recently, Pret A Manger has struggled to defend its overpriced sandwiches from allegations of profiteering, as the consumer cost of their items has increased by 50 to 75 percent since 2020.”

“These profits go directly into the hands of capitalists — Pret is known to engage in time and wage theft from its employees, and in New York City alone was recently forced to pay back almost $1 million in stolen wages to its workers.”

“Several groups faced aggression from Pret A Manger employees who took it upon themselves to defend the stores from our actions.”

“Additionally, at one location a zionist customer took offense to our ‘FUCK YOU NETANYAHU’ masks. These individuals grabbed, pushed, and struck our friends.”

“We understand that the impulse to defend private property and corporate interest stems from a deeper attachment to western imperial ‘values.’”

“We further understand that capitalism makes us all complicit in its unjust systems, and underpaid, overworked, and indebted laborers may feel pressured by the threat of firing to protect their workplaces.”

“We also know that when we are daring, we expose ourselves to the potential for violence both from the state and its self-deputized citizens. We are ready for you. We are not afraid.”

“Corporate greed will paint our actions as ‘criminal,’ but we argue that capitalistic enterprises such as Pret A Manger are the real criminals.”

“As for the workers, we ask you to reconsider your allegiance to a corporation that doesn't give a fuck about you. If you won't join us in our merry mayhem, simply look the other way.”

“As Palestine faces 100 days of zionist aggression with no end in sight, Pret is positioning itself to profit directly from the ongoing genocide and theft of Palestinian land. We say: NO MORE. Cancel your blood money contracts with Israel NOW.”

“This is not a suggestion. This is a call to action. If you won't listen to our voices, we will empty the shelves of every single store in every single city.”

“We extend an invitation to friends and strangers from all corners of the rotten empire to collaborate with us as we move in solidarity with Palestine. Find your people. Flow like water. Stay safe, stay dangerous, stay ungovernable.”

“Target genocide profiteers everywhere! Dismantle the war machine! Hit 'em where it hurts, and don't stop until Palestine is free.”