Customers boycott Lush over 'boycott Israel' sign

The unspeakably dirty tactics of Hamas have been condemned across the world following Saturday’s blood-curdling attacks.

And yet, cruelty-free cosmetics brand Lush has allowed a “boycott Israel” sign to be displayed in one of its branches.

A photo of the store, with the statement brandished in its window, swiftly went viral on social media, with X/Twitter users demanding an explanation from the company and saying the misguided brand should be “boycotted” itself.

It’s not clear who took the original picture, but the offending shop was identified as Dublin’s Henry Street branch.

And whilst, the sign has apparently since been taken down, Lush did not apologise for the controversy.

Instead, the company said in a statement that it wished for "peace and safety for all Israeli and Palestinian people".

A spokesperson told indy100: "This week, one shop within the UK&I business briefly displayed a 'Boycott Israel' message in their window. It was an isolated occurrence that does not represent the Lush ethos that ‘All Are Welcome. Always.’ and was swiftly removed.

"Lush deplores all acts of violence and our wish is for peace and safety for all Israeli and Palestinian people. We support the upholding of international law and the human rights of all peoples."

It comes as supporters of both sides march in cities across the world as the bloody war between Israel and Hamas escalates.

On Monday, hundreds of people gathered at two locations in central London – with supporters of Israel holding a vigil on Downing Street and pro-Palestinian protesters demanding a “revolution" near the Israeli embassy.

Meanwhile, reports of antisemitic incidents in the UK since the weekend have tripled compared with the same period last year, according to a leading Jewish charity.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which advises British Jews on security matters, did not provide exact numbers but said further incidents could be reported in the coming days.

“We don't have firm numbers yet as we are still logging and verifying everything that has come in, which also means that the number is likely to rise further, but the current rate is roughly triple what it was for the same period last year," a spokesperson said.

The CST says any escalation in violence in Israel and Gaza often leads to antisemitic reactions in Britain.

Home secretary Suella Braverman wrote to police chiefs on Tuesday, saying that experience showed "Islamists and other racists" would use the current conflict to stir up hatred against British Jews.

She called on police to take a tough line, not just against shows of support for Hamas - which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Britain - but also towards some pro-Palestinian displays.

"Behaviours that are legitimate in some circumstances, for example the waving of a Palestinian flag, may not be legitimate such as when intended to glorify acts of terrorism," she said in her letter.

"Nor is it acceptable to drive through Jewish neighbourhoods, or single out Jewish members of the public, to aggressively chant or wave pro-Palestinian symbols."

Yet, it is also important to note that the situation faced by innocent Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip is, truly, terrible.

The Palestinian territory, one of the most crowded places on Earth, has been under siege since Saturday in a near-constant bombardment that Gazan health officials say has killed more than 1,000 people.

The blitz is retaliation for the attacks carried out by Hamas – Gaza's ruling group – which the Israeli military says killed more than 1,200 people.

And now, most of the 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip have no electricity and no water.

And, with hundreds of Israeli strikes raining down on their tiny enclave, they have nowhere to run.

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