Victoria Square Sees Pro-Palestine Protest Over New Sephora Branch
By Gavin Murphy
It was hard to miss the opening of cosmetic company Sephora’s new branch in Belfast’s Victoria Square shopping centre. The first in Ireland since the 2000s, Sephora also operates thirteen stores across the UK.
Whether in person or online, images of long lines of customers on the 12th of February this year proved the chain’s arrival was popular among consumers, opening just in time for Valentine’s Day weekend. This popularity has not proven to be universal, however.
This past Monday, the 23rd saw a protest in Victoria Square by activists from BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) Belfast [2]. The group has been critical online of Sephora and the ties between both its parent company, LVMH, and CEO, Bernard Arnault, and the Israeli government.
The ties of LVMH, a global luxury goods conglomerate, to the state of Israel include Investment in Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz and using its control over the diamond market to add 100 billion US dollars to the Israeli economy since 2010 [1].
Joining the BDS protestors on Monday was Patricia Campbell, a representative for activist group Five for Palestine, who, outside the new shop on Monday, made their combined demands clear.
The activists demanded:
“accountability and responsibility for the crimes committed against Palestinian prisoners by ‘Israeli’ and other authorities, and international rights protection for the prisoners”.
However, the activists’ attribution of Sephora and LVMH’s to Israel may not be as concrete as they have portrayed. In the past the larger corporation has stood by many of its spokespeople such as Bella Hadid in 2021 [4] when she joined activists in support of a free Palestine. According to an employee at that time, LVMH tried to stay “politically neutral.”
With a particular objection to Israel’s ongoing involvement in Gaza, BDS Belfast is likely to plan further protests, operating across Ireland but focusing on Belfast. Queen’s University is no stranger to protests with our own student Palestine Assembly making their voices heard on campus.
Therefore, with their intentions made, students should be aware of BDS Belfast in case they are spotted in town or around campus so that they can make the distinction between Pro-Palestinian groups as well as decide for themselves, with this information in hand, if Sephora were still a store they would like to patronise.
References
[1] Clinton, S., (2023). “Genocide in Gaza: Luxury at What Cost?” Middle East Monitor, 10 Nov 2023. Available at: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231110-genocide-in-gaza-luxury-at-what-cost/
[2] BDS Belfast, (2026). Facebook.com. 22 Feb 2026. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/BDSBelfast/videos/today-we-staged-a-protest-at-belfasts-victoria-square-shopping-centre-to-raise-a/763645916441634/
[3] BDS Belfast, (2024). BDS Logo. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=487334977198639&set=a.176615051603968
[4] Prance-Miles, L., (2021). “LVMH Backs Bella Hadid as She Speaks up for Palestine – Global Cosmetics News.” Global Cosmetics News, 27 May 2021. Available at: https://www.globalcosmeticsnews.com/lvmh-backs-bella-hadid-as-she-speaks-up-for-palestine/
