British Supermarket Branch Removes Kosher Items Over Fear of Anti-Israel Protests
A Sainsbury’s in the Isle of Wight advertises a bus for festival attendees. Image by Wikimedia Commons
A branch of a popular British supermarket chain removed kosher items from its shelves over fears of attacks by anti-Israel protesters.
The Sainsbury’s branch in Holborn in central London emptied its kosher section on Saturday as anti-Israel protesters demonstrated outside of the store, the Guardian reported on Sunday.
The protest occurred at the same time as protesters at a Tesco supermarket in Hodge Hill, Birmingham, entered the store and began throwing Israeli food products on the floor.
The food removed from the shelves at Sainsbury’s was kosher, and not necessarily Israeli in origin. Some of it was manufactured in the United Kingdom and Poland, according to the Guardian.
In response to complaints by customers on its Facebook page, which accused the company of racism against Jews, Sainsbury’s apologized “for any inconvenience or offense caused,” saying the decision was made in the one store “as a precautionary measure during a demonstration close by” and that the products were returned to the shelves “as soon as was practically possible.”
“As a non-political organization, Sainsbury’s would never take such a decision on grounds other than ensuring the quality or safety of our products,” the statement said.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
