I'm listening to the ABC Rewind's Boycott series, and in 1986 John Howard called the (eventually successful) boycotts of apartheid South Africa by Australian unions "a futile exercise". He said it wouldn't help black South Africans, that it would backfire and that Australians were shooting themselves in the foot.
Of course he did. The script for conservative opposition to human rights activism never changes.
Boycotts are very successful against repressive regimes when done correctly. And they send an important message to people suffering under oppression that we're on their side.
A helpful reminder from the past.
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