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Pro-Palestinian activists urged shoppers to boycott “Israeli-linked” brands as they brought traffic to a standstill during a march on Oxford Street.
Hundreds of protesters descended on the famous shopping hotspot as part of a demonstration organised by direct action group Sisters Uncut on Saturday afternoon.
They gathered in Soho Square chanting “free Palestine” before swarming on Oxford Street during the Christmas shopping rush.
Protesters during a pro-Palestine demonstration, organised by direct action group Sisters Uncut (Lucy North/PA)PA WireActivists chanted “boycott Zara” and "Zara, Zara, you can’t hide, stop supporting genocide” outside one of the fashion brand’s stores.
Security guards blocked the entrance to the shop as dozens of officers followed the march.
Leaflets distributed by Sisters Uncut said: “No Christmas as usual in a genocide. The UK is complicit.
“Don’t fund genocide in Palestine. Boycott Israel.”
Earlier this month, Zara pulled an ad following complaints that it contained pictures resembling images from the Israel-Hamas war.
The campaign, called The Jacket, contained a series of images in which the model was pictured against a background of cracked stones, damaged statues and broken plasterboard.
Zara said the campaign presented “a series of images of unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio and was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craft-made garments in an artistic context”.
However, some viewers suggested they were similar to images emerging from Gaza.
The company said it regretted a “misunderstanding” about the pictures, after some customers “saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created”.