![\"Shattered](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\/7c38559a-260f-443c-a775-f8fdc5d8f705.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe newest branch of the upmarket bakery chain Gail\u2019s has been repeatedly vandalised with anti-Zionist messages in what its chief executive has described as an \u201cintimidation\u201d campaign. <\/p>\n
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\u2019s front. <\/p>\n
Tags including \u201creject corporate Zionism\u201d and \u201csupport local business\u201d were daubed in red paint onto the bakery\u2019s white walls, while \u201cboycott\u201d was written above the Gail\u2019s logo and an anarchist symbol was drawn next to the door.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Windows were smashed at the caf\u00e9<\/p>\n
MARCIN NOWAK\/LNP<\/p>\n
Tom Molnar, the co-founder and chief executive of Gail\u2019s<\/a>, said the \u201crepeated attempts to intimidate and endanger\u201d were \u201ccompletely unacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d Molnar said. <\/p>\n \u201cOur 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.\u201d <\/p>\n The attack followed a similar hit on the shop last week, which also involved red paint, hours before it opened to the public.<\/p>\n The Metropolitan Police attended shortly before midnight, but the suspects fled the scene before officers arrived. The caf\u00e9 opened as scheduled at 7am and the graffiti was cleaned off later the same day.<\/p>\n The caf\u00e9 opened as scheduled at 7am<\/p>\n MARCIN NOWAK\/LNP<\/p>\n The incident was again reported to the police and one of the cafe\u2019s windows has been boarded up while it awaits repair. The force is now treating both incidents as a hate crime, Gail\u2019s said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The campaign against Gail\u2019s, which has almost 200 UK branches, has been encouraged by online claims that the brand has close ties to the Israeli government and military. <\/p>\n Originally a baked goods wholesaler founded by the Israeli baker Gail Mejia, Gail\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n Bain Capital, the American investment firm, bought a majority stake in Gail\u2019s in 2021 in a deal that valued the business at about \u00a3200 million. They have supercharged the chain\u2019s growth<\/a>, with around 40 new openings per year.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Tom Molnar, the co-founder and chief executive of Gail\u2019s, said the attacks were \u201ccompletely unacceptable\u201d<\/p>\n RACHEL ADAMS FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n In an Instagram message last week, the Islington branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said: \u201cThis morning, Gail\u2019s tried to quietly open up in Archway and we made sure to give them the welcome they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n The account also shared a photo of protesters outside the coffee shop holding a sign which read: \u201cBoycott Israel for genocide and war crimes in Gaza\u201d. The post received 12,500 likes.<\/p>\n \u201cGail\u2019s would like you to believe they are a down-to-earth alternative to major high street chains, but Gail\u2019s is majority-owned by Bain Capital, a global private equity firm that is a vocal supporter of Israel,\u201d the caption read. <\/p>\n \u2022 Gail\u2019s steps up its expansion as sales rise by a fifth<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\/5414da42-49b1-49fa-8b55-d75784c0fb3c.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\/c1bf4993-c41a-4373-90f3-4dee0d223bbe.jpg\")
<\/p>\n