London bakery vandalized for second time in a week after ‘funding Israel’ accusation

The new Gail’s Bakery branch in the Archway neighborhood of London was vandalized for the second time in less than a week, after pro-Palestinian protesters accused the company of funding Israel’s military in Gaza.

London’s Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the bakery on Junction Road early Wednesday morning following reports that several windows had been smashed and paint sprayed across the premises. Officers visited the bakery later that morning and spoke with staff. No arrests have been made.

Detectives are investigating whether the incident is linked to a similar act of criminal damage on Feb. 18, when red paint and political slogans were daubed on the storefront on the eve of the branch’s opening. Police said extensive inquiries, including a review of CCTV footage, are ongoing.

Metropolitan Police said in a statement that it increased uniformed patrols in the area and would take an “assertive and determined approach” to antisemitism and other hate crimes.

For the second time in a few days, a new branch of bakery Gail’s in Archway has been vandalised by ‘pro Palestinians’.
The chain was founded by a British/ Israeli Jewish woman but has been majority owned by American venture capitalists Bain since 2021.
The haters will say it’s… pic.twitter.com/qSetCwqz7C

— Nicole Lampert (@nicolelampert) February 25, 2026

Gail’s Bakery, which operates roughly 170 locations throughout the United Kingdom, recently opened the new branch in Archway, where it was met by protesters calling to “Boycott Israel For Genocide And War Crimes in Gaza.”

Gail’s was founded as a wholesale bakery by a team of Israeli bakers, including Gail Mejia and Ran Avidan, in the 1990s, and opened its first storefront bakery in 2005. The company was acquired in 2021 by the American investment firm Bain Capital, which has invested in Israeli tech companies.