A demonstration by anti-Israel protesters unfolded outside a Jewish-owned restaurant in west London on Friday evening, with a significant police presence monitoring the event.
Protesters Gather Outside Miznon Restaurant
Approximately 50 activists congregated outside Miznon, a restaurant on Elgin Crescent in the affluent Notting Hill area. The group, identifying itself as the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, staged the protest on the evening of Friday, 9 January.
Footage from the scene captured chants of 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'. One protester, claiming to be a local resident, praised the area's diversity before stating, 'Zionists are not welcome in Notting Hill' and telling them to 'get the hell out'. Another activist used a megaphone to declare that Zionism was 'really about racism, imperialism and genocide'.
Political Condemnation and Police Response
The protest drew swift condemnation from senior political figures. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch labelled it 'yet another example of harassment and incitement to violence against Jews and law-abiding people on our streets'.
She criticised the police for standing by and called on the Home Secretary to expedite promised new powers to crack down on such demonstrations, stating: 'Hatred thrives when authority shows weakness.'
Noted historian Simon Sebag Montefiore also expressed shock on social media platform X, describing the scene as 'disgraceful' and thanking the Metropolitan Police for their presence while asserting such events 'should not be happening'.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred through his chants. He has since been released on bail. A police spokesperson stated officers were present as part of a plan to balance the right to protest with minimal disruption to the community.
A History of Targeting and Activist Claims
This is not the first time the Miznon chain, founded by Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani in 2011, has been targeted. In July, a branch in Melbourne, Australia, was stormed by protesters in chaotic scenes where chairs and glassware were thrown.
Activists from the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network stated they organised the London protest to demand 'Zionist institutions and companies be kicked out of our neighbourhoods'. They claim to have held similar demonstrations outside the restaurant weekly or fortnightly for the past three months.
The incident occurs amid heightened political focus on protest policing, following recent terror attacks and a fatal synagogue shooting. The Met has previously vowed to clamp down on chants such as 'globalise the intifada'.
