Ad vans follow Coca Cola Christmas truck to Leeds as consumers urged to boycott
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has welcomed the decision by several European nations to withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in protest at Israel’s participation — and is urging UK consumers to show the same principle by boycotting Coca-Cola and other companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements
Broadcasters in Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia have confirmed they will not take part in next year’s contest, citing Israel’s inclusion while grave human rights violations continue against Palestinians.
PSC says the boycott reflects a growing international refusal to normalise apartheid through cultural platforms — and sits alongside mounting pressure on corporations profiting from Israel’s occupation.
At the same time, PSC is taking its “Don’t Buy Apartheid” message to the streets during the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour. An ad-van and local PSC activists are joining tour stops across the UK – this week in Leeds – to highlight Coca-Cola’s links to illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s military occupation unlawful, identifying the system of settlements, separation and segregation in the West Bank as a breach of international law, including laws prohibiting apartheid. PSC argues that companies with settlement-linked operations must be held to account rather than rewarded with festive nostalgia and mass advertising.
Cultural boycott: Eurovision withdrawals signal change
PSC says the Eurovision withdrawals demonstrate that boycott is not limited to consumer products. Cultural institutions and broadcasters have global influence, and choosing not to participate sends a powerful message: Israel cannot be given a platform to whitewash its ongoing occupation.
PSC urges more broadcasters, artists and fans to join the boycott, mirroring the principled stance now taken by several European public broadcasters.
PSC Director, Ben Jamal, said: “Countries stepping away from Eurovision are showing the world that complicity has consequences. In the same way, consumers here in the UK can refuse to fund corporate operations that help sustain illegal settlements. The Coca-Cola truck tries to buy goodwill with twinkling lights — but behind it is a business footprint on stolen land. Solidarity with Palestine means saying no to apartheid, whether on a supermarket shelf or an international stage.”
PSC is calling for:
● UK cafés, retailers and venues to refuse to stock Coca-Cola products including Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes, Innocent and Costa Coffee when they are linked to settlement operations
● Consumers to boycott settlement-linked goods — including agricultural products such as dates, peppers, herbs and avocados — and choose “apartheid-free alternatives”
● Broadcasters, cultural institutions and artists to refuse to legitimise Eurovision participation by Israel while occupation and systemic human rights abuses continue
● The public to understand boycott as a practical, effective tool for applying economic, cultural and moral pressure — not a symbolic gesture
A decisive moment of public pressure
As Coca-Cola’s Christmas campaign dominates UK advertising and debate over Eurovision intensifies, PSC says now is the time to expose how corporate branding, media platforms and entertainment industries can obscure ongoing injustice.
