West Norfolk – Police have confirmed they are investigating a
“hate incident” after a leaflet containing anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish text
was discovered at a supermarket in the west of the county.
The matter was reported to police by the Community Security Trust, a
British charity organisation which was formed in 1994 to ensure the safety and
security of the Jewish community in the UK.
A police spokesman said the hate incident was reported to them after a
leaflet was found in a box of fruit from Israel in a supermarket in west
Norfolk.
It is not known whether the leaflet was already in the box when it was
delivered to the supermarket or if it appeared in the box after arriving at the
store.
Following the incident, on July 24, police made other supermarkets aware
of what had happened in a bid to try to encourage other people to report if
anything similar had happened.
The spokesman said there were two other incidents, including one in the
Breckland area, which are being investigated by police.
The incident comes just weeks after a supermarket emptied its kosher
food sections over fears it would be targeted by anti-Israel protesters.
A Sainsbury’s branch manager’s decision to withdraw meats, cheese and
sauces from its shop in Holborn, London, in August during a demonstration
against the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, attracted online complaints
from critics who claimed the chain was “antisemitic” and “persecuting” Jewish
people.
But a spokesman for Sainsbury’s said it was “an absolutely non-political
organisation” and said the food was returned to the shelves “as soon as was
practically possible”.
“It was an isolated decision
made in a very challenging situation,” she said.
“It was chilled food and he
was simply trying to preserve it.”
