Two of the main consumer boycott targets of the international BDS Movement, Sabra Hummus and SodaStream have also been major local targets for Palestine solidarity activists in Belfast. It seems this targeted pressure campaign has begun to pay off, with Sabra and SodaStream products notably missing from their spots on the shelves in the Kennedy Centre branch of Sainsbury’s.
Sabra Hummus is a target of the BDS Movement as one of its parent companies – the Strauss Group – is an Israeli food company that financially supports the IDF.
SodaStream is targeted due to its direct complicity in the displacement of indigenous Bedouin-Palestinians in the Naqab. It is also infamous for its discrimination against Palestinian workers.
BDS activists in Belfast have engaged in regular direct action protests in Sainsbury’s over the last several months, targetting SodaStream and Sabra Hummus, and keeping tabs on the country of origins of the fruit and vegetables stocked in the supermarket. At these protests activists remove the targeted products from the shelves and ask the management and workers not to put them back .
It has been at least four weeks since Sabra Hummus was last seen in this Sainsbury’s location, and when some activists visited the shop on 30 March ahead of the annual Land Day march, they were met with empty shelves where the SodaStream products usually sit.
It is unconfirmed at this stage whether this is a policy change on the part of Sainsbury’s or a coincidence. In either the case, the regular disruptive protests carried out by BDS Belfast have undoubtedly raised the profile of the boycotts among workers in the Kennedy Centre and local residents.
To get involved in BDS direct actions in Belfast, or for guidance on carrying out similar actions in your area reach out to BDS Belfast on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.
To find out more about the international BDS Movement see bdsmovement.net.