Pro-Palestinian activists in the UK have been accused of intimidating Jewish residents during a door-to-door campaign calling for a boycott of Israeli goods, The Telegraph reported Saturday.
The activists, associated with the Apartheid-Free Zone (AFZ) movement, have been canvassing neighborhoods in Hackney, Bristol, Sheffield, and Brighton, urging residents to shun products made in Israel, the report said.
The campaign, which has sparked significant concern, was criticized on Friday by Jewish groups and politicians, who described the actions as crossing a line of acceptable activism and urged police to take note of allegations of harassment and violence.
The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity dedicated to protecting British Jews from antisemitism, condemned the door-knocking efforts, stating that “turning up uninvited at homes in an area with a large Jewish community to push a political agenda of this nature is intimidating and crosses a serious line.”
The controversy deepened after an alleged incident in Sheffield, where a woman claimed to have been headbutted by an activist associated with the AFZ. The report said the woman was counter-protesting with her partner when she was allegedly assaulted.
Another round of protests is expected over the weekend
Politicians, including Labour MP Peter Kyle, have also raised concerns, with Kyle reporting the activities to local police for possible hate crime investigations.
“My immediate thought was for the appalling scenario of a vulnerable Jewish resident being door-knocked by a gang of people wanting to harangue them,” Kyle told Sky News.
Police said no arrests have been made.
Despite these allegations, anti-Israel campaigners in Bristol and Hackney were preparing for another round of protests over the weekend, while concerns about the safety of Jewish residents continue to grow.
Hackney is home to one of the largest ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Jewish communities outside New York and Israel.