A boycott of next year’s Gay Pride and all things gay and lesbian – such as sushi, lumberjack shirts and Audi convertibles – has been organised by People Before Profit, and backed by Sinn Féin and the Communist Party of Northern Ireland.

Elspeth McVeigh of People Before Profit said the boycott is about “Showing solidarity through respecting Palestinian culture which strictly forbids homosexuality and despises many other progressive liberal values such as feminism and women’s rights,” adding: “By boycotting Pride, which Israel celebrates every year, we’re sending a strong message that we have Hamas’ back in their armed struggle against Israeli oppression.”

It comes after pro-Palestine activists in Belfast interrupted a meeting of intersectional feminists at the Mac theatre, chanting that the women in attendance should “Remove their piercings, cover their flesh, and seek a husband,” in a similar call for a boycott of progressive and Israeli-adjacent values.

Asked about the upcoming boycotts, a Pride organiser said: “We also stand in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. All oppression is rooted in colonialism and capitalism, which is why we’re giving our support to a brutal, medieval-style theocratic regime that hates our very existence – but in an anti-Israeli kind of way. In fact, as soon as we’ve organised it, we also plan to boycott next year’s Pride”.

The upcoming boycotts will be accompanied by yet more rainbow-less flag-waving demonstrations in Belfast city centre, set to take place during the day when everyone else is at work.