Several local Home Bargains stores have become the site of protest after having products removed from their shelves by Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) activists.
The activists – who are part of a global Palestinian-led campaign that calls for nonviolent economic and cultural pressure on Israel to comply with international law – entered the Armagh branch of the bargain retail store – owned by TJ Morris – on Saturday August 23.
In footage posted online the group could be seen filling shopping trollies adorned with Palestinian flags with ‘Zionist’ products including personal hygiene and cleaning wipes, leaving those sections of the shelves bare as a move to urge shoppers to boycott the products.
An accompanying caption also said the group “advised some of the staff of their rights if they don’t feel comfortable with stocking these products.”
Then yesterday (August 24) the Newry-based BDS group entered their local Home Bargains store at Damolly Retail Park to commence the same process.
Here, activists also handed out leaflets to members of the public outlining the products they deem to show support to Israel or that are manufactured in the country.
In their online video, the group had a filled trolley with a placard reading “DANGER Contaminated Area – Israeli Goods”.
They explain in the video that they believe there should be sanctions in place to “economically isolate them [Israel] to prevent them from being able to carry out genocide”.
Activists in Craigavon also entered the Rushmere-based store on August 20 to stage a similar protest.
Campaigners took up a corner space in one of the store’s aisles and spoke to shoppers showing printed pictures of children effected by the war in Palestine.
The UK-based activist group Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has also launched a campaign urging people to boycott Israeli produce and Coca-Cola in support of Palestine.
PSC called on “individuals, shops, cafés, and venues to boycott Israeli produce and Coca-Cola” with the aim of ultimately removing products from shop shelves. Products that are particularly targeted are avocados, hummus, dates, and oranges, which are sometimes produced in Israel.
On Saturday, The Telegraph reported that pro-Palestine activists had removed avocados, hummus, and dates from the shelves of a Preston branch of the supermarket Waitrose and then loaded them into trolleys.
In previous years, the tactics have proved successful for campaigners who saw prompt response from the UK-based bargain chain.
According to a report by The Newsletter in October 2023, Pro-Palestine activists called off a protest at a Home Bargains store after saying that it has met their demands to drop Israeli beauty products from sale.
However, the publication say the move did cause a DUP MP to condemn such actions as tantamount to “bullying”.
The announcement came via the Londonderry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), whose supporters regarded it as a significant victory for the BDS movement in Northern Ireland.
Armagh I contacted Home Bargains, however, they declined to comment at this time.
