Demo Forces Israeli-Owned Shop To Close
Zaytoun on January 13th, 2009An Israeli-owned cosmetics shop in central London has been forced to shut after activists locked themselves to the door in protest at the suffering of civilians in Gaza.
Staff at Ahava, in Covent Garden, closed the salon’s doors to customers at around 11am on Saturday when three activists took over the store by attaching themselves to each other and to the inside of the door.
A group of 12 other pro-Palestine supporters stood outside the premises in Monmouth Street with banners and leaflets.
Joe Lee, spokesman for the activists, said it was an independent, “peaceful” protest against the Israeli government and Ahava’s own activities.
Ahava, which is based in Israel but has “boutiques” in London, Berlin and Singapore, produces Dead Sea mineral-based skin products.
The activists said they were protesting against the manufacture of products by Ahava on occupied West Bank territory.
Mr Lee, 24, of Islington, north London, said the action was timed to coincide with national demonstrations against the violence in Gaza and what the activists described as “the Israeli government’s deadly massacre of Palestinian civilians in Gaza”.
Ahava staff, who asked not to be named, said the store had been open as usual until the protesters arrived.
They said there had been no trouble but had called the police, who were dealing with the situation.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said officers were at the scene. “They will assess the situation and work out the best course of action to secure a peaceful resolution,” he added.
Original article here
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