A boycott of Azura's tomatoes from Western Sahara, and not Morocco as the label states, is taking place in Bagnolet's Auchan supermarkets. The boycott was organised to raise public awareness of the gravity of Morocco pillaging Western Sahara's natural wealth. The initiators called on sellers and French consumers to boycott vegetables and other produce imported from Western Sahara, believing that ''it represents a direct implication of pillaging wealth from the Saharan people and encourages Morocco in their illegal occupation of Western Sahara''.
This action, launched last week, is aimed at tomatoes from Dakhla, sold and distributed by the Moroccan royal family to European markets, in violation of international law. The tomatoes are farmed in Dakhla, Western Sahara, under Moroccan occupation. The label claims that they are tomatoes from Morocco, which is ''a fraud on product origin''.
Western Sahara is an autonomous territory occupied since 1975 by Morocco following the retreat of the ex-Spanish colony. Morocco has no sovereignty over the Western Sahara. The Former UN Legal Counsel, Hans Corell, stated to the United Nations Security Advisors in 2002, that no exploitation of natural resources can take place without the consent of the Saharan people.