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A branch of Gail’s Bakery in north London was vandalized last week after protesters accused the company of supporting Israel.
Protesters held signs outside the newly-opened branch of the bakery reading, “Boycott Israel For Genocide And War Crimes in Gaza.” Another placard accused the company of backing “apartheid.”
A video shared online shows a Jewish bystander confronting the demonstrators. He asked: “Why are you protesting a UK-based business saying ‘Boycott Israel’? Is it because they’ve got Jewish directors?”
One protester replied that the bakery’s profits went private equity investors who invested in Israeli “war tech.”
Soon after the protest, vandals splashed red paint across the storefront. They also scrawled graffiti reading: “Boycott Gails, funds Israeli tech.”
The Metropolitan Police said officers were reviewing footage. Police have not announced any arrests.
Gail’s began in the 1990s as a wholesale bakery. Israeli bakers, including Gail Mejia and Ran Avidan, founded the business. It later expanded into retail and now operates roughly 170 locations across the United Kingdom. In 2021, U.S.-based investment firm Bain Capital acquired the company.
“Targeting a business on the basis of alleged or perceived Israeli and or Jewish connections reflects a very worrying trend,” said a spokesperson for the Board of Deputies of British Jews. “Across the UK, companies and individuals are increasingly singled out by reference to their association, real or otherwise, to Israel, with an inevitable disproportionate impact on the Jewish community.”
“It is creating an atmosphere of intimidation for Jewish businesses, staff, and customers. And it is part of a wider trend to try and drive Jews out of wider civil society,” the spokesperson added.
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