“It’s important to remember that there’s no such thing as empires that last forever,” one protester, Ryan, declared before an assembled crowd.
Over 30 people by my count gathered at the Arcata Plaza on Oct. 4th at around 4:30 PM. They stood around one protester holding a Palestinian flag and two others carrying a large banner, reading: “Boycott Sabra Genocide Hummus.” Stragglers made their way from every side of the Plaza and a small marching band began to set up with instruments. Two protesters brought their own drums, another hand bells, to join in the making of noise.
Ryan — addressing the crowd with no bullhorn nor microphone, and who would later describe himself as “not some kind of grand leader, [just] some guy that felt strongly that this should happen,” — continued to address the growing crowd. “It’s a time where many of us feel powerless with the intensified Israeli assault on Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. But it’s important to remember that we can look back into our history, and we can look at tactics that have historically worked.”
One way the people of Palestine have asked for direct support of those of us in the United States and other developed countries, Ryan said, is through boycotts, embargoes, and other forms of economic pressure against the Israeli State.
“That’s one of the best pieces of leverage that you have available,” he said.
The target for this particular demonstration? Sabra Hummus. You’ve likely seen it around—the red lid, the orange heart symbol, the variety of toppings. Co-owned and founded by Pepsico and the Strauss Group in 1986, this dip touts itself as “America’s #1 Hummus Brand.” So how has it put itself in the crosshairs of Pro-Palestinian protesters?
Lucky for me, fliers were handed out at the very beginning to inform the uninformed.
Flier Transcript (Text)
MAKE WILDBERRIES DESHELVE SABRA! Sabra Hummus Group is owned by the Strauss Group, a food corp that supports the IDF, specifically the Golani and Givati Brigades which are known for their human rights violations and war crimes in Lebanon and Palestine. No more Sabra on our shelves!
Transcripción: HAGAN QUE WILDBERRIES DESHAGAN DE SABRA! Sabra Hummus es una compañía propiedad de the Strauss Group, una corporación que da suporte a la fuerza de Defensa de Israel (IDF) mas específicamente a dos groupon de miltar Golani y Givati Brigades reconocidos por las violaciones de derechos humanos, crímenes de guerra en Líbano, y Palestina. No mas Sabras en la tienda Wildberries!
“So, we’re gonna have a little march. We’re gonna let people know that they shouldn’t be consuming, specifically, Sabra Hummus,” Ryan explained. “The way a boycott or pressure campaign works is holding our own community members and our own businesses accountable for the products that they are carrying—and accountable for the crimes against humanity that they are indirectly complicit in.”
The first — and initially, it seemed, only — stop was Wildberries Marketplace a few blocks down, a local carrier of Sabra Hummus. Ryan explained, gesturing to the band, that the purpose of this demonstration was to focus on “disruption, not destruction.”
Then, another protester—who preferred to remain anonymous—took Ryan’s place before the crowd, holding a handwritten letter to read aloud. Though they did not read it in full, I have included a transcript. It reads as follows:
“WHY BOYCOTT SABRA?
Sabra was created in the 1980s by PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, a large Israel food manufacturer. The SG has been OPENLY UNAPOLOGETIC about their unwavering support to the Israeli military.
Ofra Strauss, Chairwoman of the SG, has said, ‘Israeli soldiers are not just an army, they are our kids … any boycott on our product is a vote against all the good things we do.’
IS GENOCIDE A ‘GOOD’ THING?
Shai Badad, CEO of SG has said ‘we continue to pray for the safe return of the hostages and continue to strengthen the soldiers of the IDF and the security forces.‘
HOW DO THEY DO THAT? → SG encourages foreign study-abroad students in Israel to join the Israeli military. They have supplied soldiers with the money and other necessities to strengthen the IDF’s murderous brigades.
DO WE THINK SABRA PRODUCTS SHOULD BE SOLD TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, IN OUR LOCAL STORES? Boycott Sabra! Genocide Hummus.
Almost a week ago, a group of concerned community members put up multiple letters around Wildberries, calling on them to pull Sabra from their shelves. (3 demands) Wildberries has not responded to the letter, and continues to profit from genocide. Ironic how a ‘sustainable + community minded’ business [illegible] responds when questioned on their words.”
— Transcript of handwritten letter, author unknown
After another quick round of hyping up the crowd, a protester declared, “Let’s walk!” And with that, our migration to Wildberries began. At this point I know I’d certainly lost track of how many marched, though the number had certainly grown. They walked in a wide arc, some taking the sidewalk, others taking the street, trailed by a small marching band. Those with the banner marched in front. Central was the protester carrying the flag. A number of supportive honks and waves came from passing cars.
At around 5:14pm, the marchers charged through the automatic sliding doors of the Wildberries Marketplace, filling the store with chants, music and demands. One such chant demanded to speak to the manager. An employee quickly approached to explain that no manager was present—they had already left. From what I could gather, as I was unable to get close enough to hear, it was a quick and polite conversation explaining that the demonstrators should arrive earlier for an opportunity to speak to any manager. The protesters nodded—Ryan shook the hand of the employee—and, undeterred, marched right back out chanting: “We’ll be back!”
The entire ordeal ended in less than 5 minutes, as the Lumberjack wrote. But that did not mean the day was done.
The protesters then set their sights on the College Creek Marketplace, the Cal Poly Humboldt corner store that, like many local stores, carried Sabra Hummus. Our path was set, though not without a price: The marching band could follow us no further. This journey would continue without them.
After what must have been a tearful goodbye for some, we set forth once again. Though the accompaniment of brass reverberated only in our memory and in our hearts, the drums, hand bells, and chants of the crowd kept them going strong. Thus, we marched to the campus.
Upon arrival the scene was much the same, with the protesters facing the front of the building, chanting and drumming similarly to the site prior. Although, yet again, no managers were present, the march proceeded through the store and out through the back door, and continued their leave of the campus, where protesters marching in the street slowed cars behind them and gathered (primarily positive) attention from witnesses on campus.
With that, the procession took once more to the streets of Arcata, marching down 14th Street, over the bridge that stands above the Redwood Highway. At this point, people were getting off work, so the streets were now filled with cars came to a halt as protesters crossed their path. They turned onto H Street, passing Wildberries once more, until they returned to the Arcata Plaza at around 6pm.
It was at this point I had the opportunity to properly interview Ryan, the footage of which is included in full. I asked him what brought him out here, how this all came together, and how people can show their support.
To that last point, for those who read this seeking a call to action: Ryan said those wanting to support Palestinian Liberation in a passive way should boycott Israeli products—which includes Sabra Hummus, as well as many other agricultural products (tahini, wines, olive oils)—due to their typical use of land forcibly taken from Palestinian people, and in many cases outright support of a pro-genocide organization. For a more active path, he encouraged people to organize protests at the level they’re comfortable with and carry it out against Israeli business dealings and products.
“The way that we win this is not through isolated actions, but through tidal waves of individual actions,” he said.
Ryan also plugged the Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions (BDS) Movement for a list of specific companies linked to Israeli apartheid to boycott, which can be found here.
But of course, there are those out there who might think to themselves: “I want to partake in this boycott and show my support, but how will I go on without my Sabra hummus?” First, remember that if a boycott was meant to be easy, it wouldn’t really be a call to action. At least, not an effective one. Second, fear not—yet another call to action lies in wait for you, broken down into 5 simple steps, courtesy of Palestine in a Dish:
- Gather your ingredients (and remember, check those labels.) You will need:
- 1 can of chickpeas
- ¼ cup sesame oil (tahini)
- ¼ cup of water
- 1 freshly squeezed large lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt to taste
- Jalapenos (optional)
- Parsley to garnish (optional)
- Open your can of chickpeas and rinse them well.
- Add all ingredients into a food processor. (Or, mash it up in a bowl. You have hands, you have tools. Mash it good. Show those ingredients who’s boss.)
- Mix well until the mix looks like a paste.
- Serve with pita bread or vegetables.
Congratulations—if you followed along, you just made your own hummus without accidentally supporting a food corporation that funds the Israeli military (assuming you checked the labels on the ingredients you used.)
And, of course, don’t forget the chant of these protesters:
“We’ll be back!”
