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Banner reading ‘Welcome to the Zionist Police State’ condemned as ‘sickening’
Makeshift poster hung next to Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery in Mile End drew condemnation from MPs and local activists
An antisemitic banner hung outside a Jewish cemetery in London has been taken down and condemned as “utterly sickening” after Twitter users posted photos of it.
The DIY-banner reading “Welcome to the Zionist Police State” was hung from the window of a house opposite Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery in Mile End, a disused United Synagogue site dating from the early 20th century, when the area was the epicentre of London’s Jewish population before demographics shifted.
A photo of the banner was posted on Twitter by the Sunday Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund on Sunday, with Labour MP Wes Streeting tweeting that he recognised the location near his grandfather’s old flat, adding that it was “utterly sickening”.
The Ilford North MP later said the banner had been taken down and thanked the police and local authorities for having it removed, with Cllr Kevin Brady praising “how rapidly the team leapt into action”.
Overlooking an old Jewish cemetery in Mile End pic.twitter.com/Hd3UgY9H0A
— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) May 25, 2020
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