Shoppers at an Armagh store were left “intimidated and scared” after protesters reportedly verbally abused customers, according to one local councillor.
Alderman Gareth Wilson has condemned what he described as “intimidating” behaviour by protesters inside the Home Bargains store on Railway Street, saying the actions left some customers feeling scared and unable to shop freely.
The DUP representative said he was contacted by several concerned shoppers on Saturday who reported being verbally abused and filmed as they attempted to leave the busy store. He has since raised the matter with the PSNI.
“Legitimate protest is one thing, but it is entirely unacceptable that people who are going about their daily business are subjected to verbal abuse and then filmed leaving this busy department store by protestors,” said Alderman Wilson.
He claimed the group involved – described as engaging in “Palestinian activism” – had been removing items from shelves and placing them into trolleys as part of their demonstration.
“This tactic seems to consist of clearing products off various shelves and into trolleys,” he said. “In the instances of verbal abuse brought to me today, customers who wished to avail of the products that had been cleared deliberately off the shelves approached the protestors to access the items they needed, and they felt very intimidated in doing so.”
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Alderman Wilson said a retail store is “simply not the platform for any type of protest”, particularly when shoppers are left feeling “intimidated and scared”.
He added: “Home Bargains as a company need to take this activity seriously and act promptly to prevent it. I have relayed my concerns directly to the PSNI on this matter.”
