Briefly in English

S-Group consists of 19 regional and 7 local consumers' co-operatives. Its businesses include Prisma markets, S-Markets, Sale & Alepa shops, ABC-stations, Sokos shopping centers, a large group of restaurants & hotels and the S-Bank. All of these are owned by co-operative members.

If you have a membership card (S-Etukortti) you can vote in the upcoming co-operative elections.

All members can run in the co-operative elections, which are organized every four years. Elected members form a representative body, which meets twice a year to decide on co-operative rules and to select an administrative board. This board in turn selects people to run the co-operative and its businesses.

Representatives can propose that S-Group consumers' co-operatives ban products from Israel's illegal settlements and can suggest people for the administrative boards. Sumud – The Finnish Palestinian network has prepared an election pledge for all candidates to sign:

I believe that co-operative shops and restaurants should not sell products or use raw materials which come from Israel's illegal settlements. Israel's settlements in the West Bank and Golan Heights are in breach of international law.

Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have stated that the import of goods from settlements that are built on occupied territories should be banned because they are in violation of international law and contribute to human rights violations. The United Nations International Court of Justice is investigating Israel for the genocide of Palestinians, and the International Criminal Court is investigating Israel for war crimes committed in occupied Palestinian land.

If I'm elected, I will work to ban Israeli settlement products from S-Group business.

Alko, the national alcoholic beverage retail monopoly, and the Kesko retail conglomerate have both removed products from the occupied territories from their selection and announced to their supply chains that products from illegal settlements are not permitted. 

Let's vote to ban illegal settlement products!

Find a candidate in your region and vote in the online elections! If you’re running in the elections, you can sign the election pledge by sending your name, vote number and region to contact@sumud.fi