A Black Friday protest march in London against Israel escalated into an unlicensed rally outside an Israeli-owned bakery, sparking warnings from Jewish leaders of Fascist-style street intimidation, JNS reported.
Hundreds of demonstrators marched down a main shopping street to promote a boycott of Israel during the busy shopping day, then picketed the Israeli-owned shop. The bakery, owned by an Israeli chain, opened last year.
“These protests constitute yet another step in accentuating the comparison between the Jew-hating thugs in the so-called ‘pro-Palestinian’ marches and the actions of the Nazis in pre-war Germany and Austria,” said Gary Mond, chairman of the National Jewish Assembly, in comments to JNS. “Next they will return during working days and link hands to stop customers or suppliers from entering Jewish-owned stores.”
While anti-Israel protests are routine in London, few public actions have directly targeted Israeli-linked businesses. Mond called the rally “yet another wake-up call to governments to act against hate before it is too late,” adding, “Sadly, I fear that they won’t.”
The march’s licensed route ran from near Piccadilly Circus along Haymarket to Trafalgar Square. However, hundreds of protesters splintered off and moved north to Charing Cross Road to picket the bakery.
The Metropolitan Police did not respond in time for publication to JNS regarding their handling of the incident.
Britain has seen a sharp rise in incidents of antisemitism since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.
Last week, police in London moved an anti-Israel protest away from St. John’s Wood Synagogue after dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the building.
In October of this year, a lecture by Israeli academic Professor Michael Ben-Gad at City St. George’s, University of London, was disrupted when anti-Israel activists burst into his classroom, shouting accusations and threats.