In a surprising turn of events, three pro-Palestinian activists have been acquitted of causing criminal damage to Israeli-made SodaStream products in a west Belfast supermarket. The alleged incident took place in July 2024 at a Sainsbury’s store in the Kennedy Centre.
Martin Rafferty, 58, of Carnmoney Road in Newtownabbey, and Eoin Davey, 57, and Yasmary Perdomo, 50, both of Springfield Road in Belfast, were jointly charged over the incident. They were accused of placing BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) stickers on the fizzy water goods.
All three defendants denied the charge, and on Monday, the case was heard at Belfast Magistrates’ Court. However, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) offered no evidence against the three defendants, and they were formally acquitted after District Judge Anne Marshall dismissed the case.
Solicitor Aiden Carlin, representing the activists, hailed the outcome as a “spectacular” result, claiming that the prosecution had “made every attempt to secure a conviction – even though there was literally no evidence of any alleged damage.”
Carlin also stated that the decision came after a total of 13 separate hearings, and he urged the PPS to withdraw similar cases that have been brought against other BDS activists.
In a statement, the PPS said that it has “a general duty to keep prosecution decisions under consideration and take into account any change in circumstances that occurs as the case proceeds.” The statement further explained that “where new information or evidence becomes available, it is considered along with all the existing information and evidence in the case, and the test for prosecution is applied, as happened in this case.”
Following the change in the evidence available, the PPS determined that the test for prosecution was no longer met, leading to the acquittal of the three activists.
This case highlights the ongoing tensions and debates surrounding the BDS movement, which calls for economic and cultural boycotts of Israel and Israeli settlements. The acquittal of the activists is seen as a victory for the pro-Palestinian movement, but it also raises questions about the handling of such cases by the authorities.