Local nurse Chris Dindar in Hastings town centre. Photo: Hastings PSC
Hastings nurse fights ‘houmous’ charge in stand against Israeli genocide
A nurse from Hastings will be in court next week, fighting a charge of criminal damage to a brand of houmous which he says is ‘helping to fund Israeli genocide’. Hastings & District Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s chair Katy Colley reports.
Father-of-two Chris Dindar – dubbed the #Houmous1 – will plead not guilty to a charge of criminal damage when he comes before Hastings Magistrates Court next Wednesday (23 October). A demonstration to support him will be taking place outside Hastings Magistrates Court at 10.30am that morning.
The charge relates to a peaceful protest at a local Sainsbury’s supermarket at which Chris had had called for a boycott of the Sabra houmous stocked by the supermarket.
‘This is a ridiculous charge brought on behalf of a private company to quell peaceful protest against the genocide Israel is carrying out in Gaza,’ Chris told me.
Chris, 55, says he was moved to take action after seeing images of ‘children’s bodies shredded by bombs’, aiming to highlight the fact that Sabra’s parent company Strauss Group is openly supporting the Israeli military.
‘People need to understand where their money is going,’ he said. ‘Sabra has direct links with Israel’s Golani and Givati brigades, which are responsible for some of Israel’s most horrific war crimes. It is shameful we have supermarkets in town selling their products.’
‘Sweeten their special moments’
Sabra is partly owned by the Strauss group, an Israeli multinational food and drink corporation which states that part of its approach to corporate responsibility is to provide Israeli soldiers with ‘support, to enhance their quality of life and service conditions, and sweeten their special moments’.
Israel is currently facing a charge of genocide at the International Court of Justice while the Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for Israel’s leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A coordinated campaign
At Hastings & District Palestine Solidarity Campaign we see Chris’s prosecution as part of a coordinated campaign to silence the voices of conscience in this country.
Three of our group are being prosecuted for their part in a peaceful protest General Dynamics arms factory in this town, which is profiting from the death of thousands of Palestinians.
Meanwhile, British journalists are muzzled and ordinary people are being prevented from speaking out against the mass murder of Palestinians.
We are proud of Chris and salute his efforts to highlight the importance of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Apartheid Israel. We all need to stop buying into genocide and apartheid.
Chris Dindar’s charge sheet:’On 23/02/2024 at SAINSBURY’S, JOHN MACADAM WAY, ST LEONARDS-ON-SEA, EAST SUSSEX without lawful excuse, damaged a quantity of hummus to the value o£150 [sic] belonging to J SAINSBURY PLC intending to destroy or damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be destroyed or damaged.’ Photo: Hastings PSC
Chris has started a fundraiser to help with legal costs for the case, which will be heard at 11am at Hastings Magistrates Court on Wednesday 23 October, but says that whatever the outcome, he will continue to draw attention to companies ‘complicit in the genocide and illegal occupation of Palestinian land’.
‘I’ve been part of the solidarity movement for well over 15 years and I’m not going to stop now, he added. ‘I will keep protesting and standing in the way of genocide because that is the only decent response to this carnage.
‘What is going on in Gaza right now is horrific, criminal and, seemingly never-ending – we all need to do everything we can to stop Israel from claiming more lives. We can start by boycotting all Israeli goods and products, especially Sabra houmous.’
To donate to Chris’ legal fighting fund visit https://gofund.me/ec91d1c5
Open letter to US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris from American medical professionals who served in Gaza, 2 October 2024:
‘This letter and the appendix show probative evidence that the human toll in Gaza since October is far higher than is understood in the United States. It is likely that the death toll from this conflict is already greater than 118,908, an astonishing 5.4% of Gaza’s population.
‘With only marginal exceptions, everyone in Gaza is sick, injured, or both. This includes every national aid worker, every international volunteer, and probably every Israeli hostage: every man, woman, and child. While working in Gaza we saw widespread malnutrition in our patients and our Palestinian healthcare colleagues
‘We urge you to realize that epidemics are raging in Gaza. Israel’s continued, repeated displacement of the malnourished and sick population of Gaza, half of whom are children, to areas without running water or even toilets available is absolutely shocking.
‘Every one of us who worked in an emergency, intensive care, or surgical setting treated pre-teen children who were shot in the head or chest on a regular or even a daily basis. It is impossible that such widespread shooting of young children throughout Gaza… is accidental or unknown to the highest Israeli civilian and military authorities.’
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