Pro-Palestinian protesters target Zara stores in London’s West End

Sat, 23 Dec, 2023 - 14:10

Ted Hennessey, PA

Pro-Palestinian protesters targeted fashion giant Zara as they urged Christmas shoppers to boycott “Israeli-linked” brands in London.

Hundreds marched on Oxford Street and Regent Street, busy shopping districts in the capital’s West End, bringing traffic to a standstill on Saturday afternoon.

Some chanted “while you’re shopping, bombs are dropping”, referring to the Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

They stopped outside two Zara stores, both of which had closed and were guarded by security, urging people to boycott the brand.

Protesters during a pro-Palestine demonstration urging Christmas shoppers to boycott what they called ‘pro-Israel’ brands (Lucy North/PA)

Some chanted: “Zara, Zara, you can’t hide, stop supporting genocide”.

Earlier this month, Zara pulled an ad following complaints that it contained pictures resembling images from the Israel-Hamas war.

The campaign, called The Jacket, contained a series of images in which the model was pictured against a background of cracked stones, damaged statues and broken plasterboard.

Zara said the campaign presented “a series of images of unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio and was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craft-made garments in an artistic context”.

However, some viewers suggested they were similar to images emerging from Gaza.

The company said it regretted a “misunderstanding” about the pictures, after some customers “saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created”.