An anti-Israel march held in London on Friday degenerated into an unauthorized gathering outside a bakery owned by an Israeli chain, raising concerns among community leaders about what they described as an intimidating turn of events.
According to JNS , several hundred protesters left the declared route of the march, initially planned between Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, and headed towards Donutelier, a pastry shop located on Charing Cross Road. The establishment, which opened last year, belongs to the Israeli chain Roladin and has become the target of boycott calls.
Gary Mond, president of the National Jewish Assembly, denounced this as a further step in the escalation of attacks directly targeting businesses linked to Israel. He likened these actions to street intimidation tactics reminiscent of those used in 1930s Central Europe. According to him, these demonstrations prove that some activists are now seeking to target businesses perceived as Jewish or Israeli, and could soon physically prevent customers and suppliers from accessing them.
While pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been frequent in the British capital since the start of the Gaza war, it is rare for them to target commercial establishments so explicitly. Mond sees this as a warning sign that governments, he says, refuse to heed: “We must act before it’s too late.”
The Metropolitan Police did not respond to requests for comment regarding its handling of the incident. However, in recent months, authorities have had to intervene on several occasions to manage radical actions. The previous week, for example, they had dispersed protesters gathered outside a synagogue in the St. John’s Wood neighborhood
