A Gail’s bakery has been vandalished with pro-Gaza messages in what has been described as an “intimidation” campaign.
A branch of the shop in north London has been targeted at least twice – and on Tuesday night was spray-painted with messages including “reject corporate Zionism” and “support local business” in red paint.
The Archway bakery’s windows were smashed, with further messages such as “boycott” written above the Gail’s logo, and an anarchist symbol tagged next to the door.
Tom Molnar, the chief executive of the chain, said the repeated vandalism was “completely unacceptable”.
Mr Molnar said: “We remain focused on playing a positive and meaningful role in feeding people better and attempts to disrupt our commitments to the communities we serve are primarily unkind and ill-informed.
“Our immediate priority is to work closely with the relevant authorities to help ensure this does not happen again and provide reassurance to our bakery teams. As we have previously made clear, we are a British business with no links to any country or government outside the UK.”
Just last week the same branch was spray-painted with red paint.
The Metropolitan Police attended the scene just before midnight, but the suspects had already fled.
Images from last week showed the Archway branch daubed with pro-Gaza messaging
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The cafe was able to open the next day at 7am after the red paint was washed off.
The latest incident was also reported to the police, and both incidents are now being treated as hate crimes by the police, Gail’s said.
Gail’s, which has almost 200 branches, has been subject to an anti-Zionist campaign encouraged by spurious claims it has ties to Isreal’s military and Government.
The chain was founded by Israeli baker Gail Mejia as a baked goods wholesaler, before transforming into a cafe chain in the early 2000s thanks to Israeli entrepreneur Ran Avidan.
PRO-GAZA CHAOS – READ MORE:
The Gail’s logo was smeared with red paint
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Neither Mr Avidan nor Mrs Meija remain associated with the business.
Bain Capital, an American investment firm, purchased a majority stake in Gail’s in 2021, which has accelerated the brand’s growth.
Last year, the upmarket cafe said it planned to open 40 new stores this year, with a focus on expanding outside London.
Venture capital fund Bain was one of 500 to sign a letter in support of Israel in response to the October 7 attacks, and has some investments in Israeli companies.
The Met Police said both incidents are being investigated but no arrests have been made.
The Islington branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign protested outside the Archway store on its opening day, after it replaced a Subway shop in the same location.
Gail’s was founded by Israeli baker Gail Mejia as a baked goods wholesaler
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Accompanied by a photo of protesters outside the store, the protest group posted to Instagram and said: “This morning, Gail’s tried to quietly open up in Archway and we made sure to give them the welcome they deserve.”
The protesters were seen holding a sign “Boycott Israel for genocide and war crimes in Gaza”.
The caption of the post said: “Gail’s would like you to believe they are a down-to-earth alternative to major high street chains, but Gail’s is majority-owned by Bain Capital, a global private equity firm that is a vocal supporter of Israel.”
In 2024, Mr Molnar told The Times the idea Gail’s supports Israel was “completely ridiculous”.
PICTURED: Baked goods from Gail’s, which has almost 200 branches
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He added: “Gail’s proudly has Jewish roots and there’s plenty of stuff out there celebrating our heritage and history, but it’s not true it’s Israel-owned.
“There’s some just crazy stuff on the web thinking we are funding Israel, which is just completely ridiculous. We’re a wholly UK-based business, paying UK taxes, it’s just ludicrous and I think it needs to be called out.”
The Metropolitan Police said: “We recognise the impact that incidents of this nature have. We will take an assertive and determined approach to dealing with antisemitism and other hate crime, acting decisively against anyone who tries to use the cover of protest to cause fear and distress to Londoners.
“Anyone with information about the criminal damage incidents that may assist police is urged to call 101 quoting CAD 7771/18FEB, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”