The newest branch of the upmarket bakery chain Gail’s has been repeatedly vandalised with anti-Zionist messages in what its chief executive has described as an “intimidation” campaign.
The coffee shop and bakery in Archway, north London, was attacked for a second time on Tuesday night, with windows smashed and political messages spray-painted onto the bakery’s front.
Tags including “reject corporate Zionism” and “support local business” were daubed in red paint onto the bakery’s white walls, while “boycott” was written above the Gail’s logo and an anarchist symbol was drawn next to the door.
Windows were smashed at the café
MARCIN NOWAK/LNP
Tom Molnar, the co-founder and chief executive of Gail’s, said the “repeated attempts to intimidate and endanger” were “completely unacceptable”.
“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,” Molnar said.
“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.”
The attack followed a similar hit on the shop last week, which also involved red paint, hours before it opened to the public.
The Metropolitan Police attended shortly before midnight, but the suspects fled the scene before officers arrived. The café opened as scheduled at 7am and the graffiti was cleaned off later the same day.
The café opened as scheduled at 7am
MARCIN NOWAK/LNP
The incident was again reported to the police and one of the cafe’s windows has been boarded up while it awaits repair. The force is now treating both incidents as a hate crime, Gail’s said on Wednesday.
The campaign against Gail’s, which has almost 200 UK branches, has been encouraged by online claims that the brand has close ties to the Israeli government and military.
Originally a baked goods wholesaler founded by the Israeli baker Gail Mejia, Gail’s was turned into a cafe chain by Ran Avidan, an Israeli entrepreneur, in the early 2000s. Neither Mejia nor Avidan are still associated with the business.
Bain Capital, the American investment firm, bought a majority stake in Gail’s in 2021 in a deal that valued the business at about £200 million. They have supercharged the chain’s growth, with around 40 new openings per year.
Bain was among 500 venture capital firms that signed a letter supporting Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack. It also has investments in several Israeli companies, including in the cybersecurity sector.
Tom Molnar, the co-founder and chief executive of Gail’s, said the attacks were “completely unacceptable”
RACHEL ADAMS FOR THE TIMES
In an Instagram message last week, the Islington branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said: “This morning, Gail’s tried to quietly open up in Archway and we made sure to give them the welcome they deserve.”
The account also shared a photo of protesters outside the coffee shop holding a sign which read: “Boycott Israel for genocide and war crimes in Gaza”. The post received 12,500 likes.
“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,” the caption read.
• Gail’s steps up its expansion as sales rise by a fifth
In a 2024 interview with The Times, Molnar called the allegations that Gail’s supports Israeli policy “completely ridiculous”.
“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,” he said.
“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 Met Police said it was investigating both incidents but no arrests had been made.
“We recognise the impact that incidents of this nature have,” the force said. “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.”