Gail's new bakery in Brixton is targeted in 'anti-Israel protest' as activists put up posters showing bombs strapped to loaves of bread

Activists have targeted a new Gail's bakery in Brixton with an anti-Israel protest involving posters showing loaves of bread inside bombs.

The upmarket bakery firm has just opened a new outlet but has faced an angry backlash from a protest group over both alleged ties to Israel's war in Gaza and 'gentrification' of the south London neighbourhood.

Billboard posters have been plastered close to Brixton Market, urging a boycott – featuring an image showing a loaf of Gail's bread strapped to an explosive device. 

It follows other Gail's branches such as a new opening in Archway, north London, being vandalised by pro-Palestine protesters.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism today condemned the new posters which follow similar attacks on the bakery chain elsewhere. Gail's denies links to Israel.

Gail's has been consistently targeted by activists who accuse the firm of complicity in Israel's military actions in Gaza, saying its largest shareholder Bain Capital invests in Israeli defence and cyber-security firms.

Activist group Strapline is behind the new placards and urged people not only to stay away but also protest against the arrival of Gail's at the heart of Brixton.

Slogans on the posters say 'A rising threat' and 'Avoid Gail's', linking the firm to what activists describe as 'the genocidal state of Israel'.

Accompanying text on the poster also accuses the firm of sitting 'at the intersection of aggressive corporate expansion which harms local communities'. 

The campaigners describe Gail's as embodying 'the current wave of what can only be described as late-stage gentrification in Brixton'. 

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism told the Daily Mail: 'Targeting a bakery because of perceived associations is collective punishment dressed up as virtue.

'Palestine activists have been targeting branches of Gail's for a long time now - sometimes violently.

'The association of the bakery with Jews, Israel and rapacious capitalism is a classic trope. The police should monitor this situation before it escalates.'

Gail's is based on a firm founded in 1993 by British-Israeli baker Gail Mejia before Israeli entrepreneur Ran Avidan led its expansion from 2005 onwards, opening its first branch in nearby Hampstead, though neither remain involved with the business.

In 2021, with Gail's valued at £200million, Boston-based private investment fund Bain Capital acquired a majority stake in the business that now has 170 outlets nationwide.

Gail's branches have been targeted by anti-Israel activists, with the newly opened Archway outlet targeted for a second time last February by pro-Palestine vandals who smashed windows and painted anti-Zionist graffiti. 

The coffee shop's windows were smashed and messages daubed in red paint including 'Reject corporate Zionism' and 'support local business'.

The word 'boycott' was painted above the bakery's logo and an anarchist symbol was drawn near to the door.

The business says it has 'no links with any country or government outside the UK' and its chief executive has branded the campaign against it 'completely unacceptable'.

Activist group Strapline has shared video footage on Instagram of the Brixton posters being pasted up close to the new opening next to Brixton Tube station.

The accompanying caption states: 'Maybe it’s their extortionate prices, or their algorithmically-driven predatory growth model, or it could be the fact that Bain Capital, its owners, have significant investments in the State of Isr*el.

'Or it could just be the fact that I’m bored of bland coffee shops dominating our urban landscape.

'Either way, late-stage gentrification has hit Brixton, or maybe it already had. It's easy to lose track.

'Love bread, bun Gail's. Instead why not support local businesses.'

Strapline said in a statement to Brixton Buzz: 'We want to draw attention to the damage being caused by Gail's bakeries across London through a capital-driven ownership which prioritises aggressive corporate expansion into our local communities.'

They also alleged Gail's was 'also maintaining significant ties to the genocidal State of Israel through investments into Israeli cybersecurity and defence firms'.

The approach has provoked criticism, with one online commenter saying, 'Sounds rather anti semitic to me. I’ll be off to Gail's' – prompting Strapline to reply: 'You do that x.'

Other Instagram posters were more supportive, with replies such as 'Top notch' and 'I've been avoiding Gail's since they sold out.'

Meanwhile, another opponent of the new branch joked: 'Brixton has fallen.'

Gail's owners have previously hit back at claims that the company 'funds Israel' and say calls to boycott the chain are derived from misinformation.

A spokesman told The Guardian in 2024: 'Gail's is a UK-based business with no specific connections to any country or government outside of the UK and does not fund Israel.'

Meanwhile, co-founder and chief executive Mr Molnar told the Times previously: '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.'

Gail's has been contacted for comment. 

A Change.org petition opposed to the new Gail's in Brixton attracted 1,321 signatures but planning permission was granted last month by Lambeth council.

The petition's organisers stated online: 'The proposed development of a Gail’s Bakery branch in Brixton is causing genuine concern among residents and local business owners.

'Many fear that the introduction of another large chain bakery will not only disrupt the distinctive character of our area but also directly threaten the livelihoods of our cherished local bakers and café owners.

'Independent businesses in Brixton have thrived on community support, offering personal attention and unique experiences that large chains simply cannot replicate.

'This petition is not against bakeries or new investment in Brixton. Rather, it is a call to protect the area’s independent spirit and ensure that development supports local entrepreneurs and preserves the distinct identity of the neighbourhood.'

Gail's says the new Brixton opening will bring 15 to 20 new jobs to the area and bring back into use a space lying empty since autumn last year, with the previous occupant being noodle bar Chopstix.

Other areas where there has been opposition to new Gail's branches have included nearby Crystal Palace and Walthamstow in north-east London – with critics warning about potential negative effects on local independent bakeries.

Before the bakery established itself as a middle-class phenomenon, it was originally a wholesaler called The Bread Factory founded by Gail Mejia in 1993.

Ms Mejia and others among London's 'best bakers' supplied artisanal bread and cakes to restaurants and hotels, from a site in Hendon, north London.

Tom Molnar and Ran Avidan, two business leaders working at one of the world's biggest consultancy firms McKinsey, bought half the company in 2003 and two years later opened a first branch in Hampstead, in the London borough of Camden.

Gail's is currently owned by Pizza Express entrepreneur Luke Johnson and American investment firm Bain Capital.

Bain was among 500 other venture capital firms that signed a letter in support of Israel following the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, and it has investments in Israel including in AI, cyber-security and software companies.

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