Derry campaigners get local store to pull Israeli goods

A group of Derry campaigners have succeeded in getting goods manufactured in Israel taken off the shelves in the city's Home Bargains store.

Derry Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (DIPSC) met with the store's management to explain its position and inform them that the group was planning a protest outside the store.

However, it was agreed that Dead Sea products and other Israeli goods would be removed. Stock that arrived after the meeting will also be kept in the storeroom.

DIPSC member Catherine Hutton said it is a win for the group in line with the Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) movement.

“We had been in and we had noticed that there were Dead Sea products and wipes, toilet wipes and beauty products [from Israel] on the shelves,” she said.

“We decided we were going to try and get them removed or at least inform people so they could stop buying them.

“We spoke to the management in Home Bargains and asked them to remove the products and said we intended to come down and protest. Following on from that they agreed to take the products off the shelves and keep them in the store room.

“Hopefully that'll be it and they will not put them back on the shelves. But we see this as us achieving a result in terms of BDS without causing any trouble. Sometimes people think it's aggressive tactics but it's not. We just went there and spoke to them and we've highlighted and we've informed people. So we see that as being very successful.”

Ms Hutton said BDS is a peaceful method of resistance with roots in Ireland and South Africa.

“The model is based on the approach that was taken towards South Africa and its core of nonviolence. It revolves around peace and trying to affect change through nonviolent means

“Boycott is a term that originated in Ireland. It's a tactic that has been used for a very long time and it has been effective.

“BDS was set up in 2005 and it was basically a call from Palestinian civil society organisations, trade unions, community and voluntary justice groups around the world to support their struggle against apartheid, oppression, occupation.”

Ms Hutton explained that the three levels, boycotts, divestments and sanctions take aim at the profitability of the occupation of Palestine and by anyone.

“On a ground level boycott is really the main tactic that we as individuals can use. We can make a choice and say we're not buying Israeli products and if enough people do it, it will create change because companies will look and say 'these products aren't selling so we'll not bother stocking them anymore'.

“The Divestment and Sanctions part is a bit higher level where you're pushing universities and big institutions to divest from pension funds that have money invested in Israeli banks.

“At the top level, Sanctions, is something that we have to push our governments to impose like they did with South Africa, sanctions on assets initially, financial assets, and also Military Arms embargoes.

“It's happening with Russia over Ukraine. So you can see from that angle, that's how it works. You try to cause financial pain to the economy to push for change.”

She said the movement tries to pick its battles based on how much they impact the lives of Palestinians and how realistic a result is.

“The BDS movement's website has a list of what they call their 'main targets' for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions. People think, mistakenly, that there's this huge list like you have to boycott Apple for iPhones because some of their parts are made in Israel but that's not the case.

“Ultimately, as Omar Barghouti, the founder of the BDS movement told us on Monday night, you have to target the things that have the most chance of success like Puma, Axa Insurance, those kinds of companies that are really, really complicit in the occupation, that are involved in providing assistance to the Israeli Army, that are invested in illegal settlements. They're the main targets on a global scale.”

According to Ms Hutton, there are many stores in Derry that stock products from Israel. The Derry IPSC group regularly posts updates on which shops sell these goods.

“When it comes to your insurance and stuff like that you can make a choice and avoid something and everything builds and everything helps. We can see through our communication and negotiation with Home Bargains what we've done, it may be small, it may be local but it all adds up.”

Following their success the activists have cancelled the protest they planned outside Home Bargains. Instead they will host a rally on Sunday, 29th October, focusing attention on the humanitarian crisis inflicted on Gaza.

Home Bargains said no one was available for comment.