Sainbury’s apologises for removing kosher food after protest

The Sainsbury’s store in Holborn, central London, removed the food from its shelves on Sunday afternoon after a manager feared that protesters picketing outside might attack the shop and damage food.

Activists opposed to Israel’s offensive against Gaza protested at supermaket stores in Luton, Halifax, Rochdale, Sale, Blackburn and at a make-up store and waste firm in Birmingham.

A Sainbury’s spokesperson told Channel 4 News that the decision to remove kosher food was not centrally authorised and that stores have detailed information about what to do in the event of a protest.

Sainsbury’s issued a statement this morning, saying: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience or offence caused. The decision was taken in one store only to move these chilled products to cold storage elsewhere in that store for a short period on Saturday as a precautionary measure during a demonstration close by.”

The kosher food was removed from the Sainsbury’s branch despite one food manufacturer that had its products removed telling Channel 4 News that it does not use a single Israeli ingredient in its products, and could not understand why it was targeted.

Norman Bookbinder, managing director of Gilberts Kosher Foods, told Channel 4 News: “None of our products come from Israel. They’re all British beef and British made. I’m sure it’s an error.”

Even some non-kosher products were removed from the Sainbury’s store in Holborn.

By Sunday night, just three hours after the empty shelves were photographed, the food was returned and Mr Appleby said he had been assured by Sainsbury’s that “the staff member has been suitably chastised”.

.@sainsburys produce has been emptied. It looks like this now. member of staff said “we support free Gaza”. Explain? pic.twitter.com/UTxpe6Jksf

— Colin J Appleby (@CJ_Appleby) August 16, 2014

Wider protests

The decision to remove the food from the Sainsbury’s store was taken after Palestinian solidarity protesters stormed a Tesco store in Hodge Hill, Birmingham, to protest against the supermarket stocking fruit and vegetables from Israel.

Protesters in the Tesco branch threw goods around the store, and one was arrested for assaulting a police officer, while activists claimed on Twitter that they were assaulted.

Protesters in Birmingham also yesterday manage to close a make-up store.

A local activist group wrote on Twitter yesterday: “The MAC #birmingham is closed in response to protesting against MAC cosmetics, a brand supporting the zionist regime in #Palestine #freegaza.”

One leaflet distributed by protesters in Halifax on Saturday reads: “Protest to continue every Saturday following this.”

Some 329,643 people have joined a campaign on the site “buycott”, pledging to boycott “companies that are supporting the occupation of Palestine”.