O'Neills, the main supplier of GAA gear, has removed all Puma-branded products from its shelves and online store, according to pro-Palestinian activists angered by the German manufacturer's links to the Israeli national soccer team.
Activists connected to the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign called off a protest outside O'Neills' Derry premises after the company pulled the Puma gear from the shelves of the store in the city, followed by others across the north.
IPSC branch representatives reported Puma items were no longer on sale at any of the other nine outlets across the north. At the company's Belfast outlet on Royal Avenue on Wednesday, there were no Puma-brand items on sale.
Shoppers are currently unable to source any Puma products via O'Neills' online store. The Strabane-headquartered company previously sold t-shirts, jackets, shoes and hats manufactured by Puma.
O'Neills did not respond to a request for comment, while the Israeli Embassy in London was contacted but did not reply when asked for comment on the move by the sportswear company.
Puma said a local distributor had a deal to supply the Israeli national team but the manufacturer had no association with any other football club in the country or with any of the six clubs based around the illegal settlements on the West Bank but still affiliated to the Israeli professional league.
Catherine Hutton, Derry branch representative for the IPSC, said the move to encourage O’Neills to remove Puma-branded gear from its shelves began in the northwest city.
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Beginning in 2018, Puma has been one of the targets of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) global movement against Israel. Adidas previously supplied sportswear to the national team.
“We took the lead from the BDS movement and decided early last week to ramp up action,” Ms Hutton said, adding members of the branch approached O’Neills, wrote the company a letter and posted online a call to the company to remove the products.
Ms Hutton said protests were planned for last Saturday but that the company made contact and said all products under the Puma brand would be removed from the shelves. It was decided to call off the protest.
"It’s been brilliant and we have to thank them for taking the initiative,” Ms Hutton said, referring to O’Neills. “We hope now it will extend to the south," said Ms Hutton. O'Neills has one outlet in the south, in Dublin.
In a statement, Kerstin Neuber, the company’s head of communications, said: “Puma’s local distribution partner supplies the Israeli national teams with Puma-branded football equipment to compete in international competitions.
“We do not have any other official connection or association with any other Israeli football team – neither in mainland Israel nor in settlements.”
Ms Neuber added: “Puma does not support football teams in settlements nor does its Israeli distributor have branches in settlements ...
“Puma continues to support and outfit athletes from all backgrounds, regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, sexual orientation and national origins."