The opinions of passers-by were quite clear: people do not want melons from the conflict area of Western Sahara in Swiss supermarkets. We spent a day on the Limmatplatz and recorded our meetings of 21 May 2016 in a shortened video.
"I wouldn't buy", "Certainly not [...] that would be fundamentally wrong" were some of the opinions of passers-by on the subject of melons from the Western Sahara in Swiss supermarkets. When terre des hommes schweiz drew attention to the problem on the Limmatplatz for a day, the assumption was confirmed: Most consumers were not aware of the problems surrounding the fruit from this conflict area. When they heard about it, the feedback was even clearer: if Migros and Denner customers knew that the melons came from conflict areas, they would not buy them.
We therefore demand that all Swiss retailers stop selling products from Western Sahara. You too can use our form to express this wish in less than a minute. You can find the form at www.terredeshommesschweiz.ch/bitteremelonen.
Coop has already figured it out - why not Migros?
Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco for 40 years. While the majority of the original population, the Saharaouis, in refugee camps in southern Algeria depend on international aid supplies, Morocco grows vegetables and fruit in the occupied territory. These are also sold in Swiss supermarkets. While Coop will no longer import products from Western Sahara from 2017, Migros and Denner will continue to sell melons from Western Sahara.
Ruthless exploitation and violation of international law
By growing the products, Morocco is violating international law. But it is not only from a human rights perspective that the products from Western Sahara are problematic. Fossil groundwater is also used to irrigate the plantations. These are non-renewable water reserves.
