A Lake District Garden Center has taken action to ban its employees to wear political symbols after a Jewish family has filed a complaint about an employee who was wearing a Pro-Palestinian badge.
The family, who visited Hayes Garden World in Ambleside, was abandoned by the display and claimed that the center “had no respect for the feeling and sensitivity of visiting Jews or Israelis.”
In response to the complaint, the Garden Center has updated its employee policy to ban all political symbols.
The incident marks the latter in a series of complaints that companies and institutions have led to clamp the wearing pro-Palestinian badges after some members of the public claimed to have been 'sad and intimidated' by such symbols.
The controversy started earlier this month when the family saw an employee with the Palestinian flag in the Garden Center.
The husband, who is in the late 1960s and asked to remain anonymous, explained the situation to De Telegraaf: 'At the cash register my wife asked the cash register a question and she called her male colleague. He was wearing a Palestinian badge on the lapel of his green uniform. '
He continued: 'The badge was big enough not to be missed or confused with something else.
“And while I kept my feelings for myself, I was absolutely crazy home to Manchester that this man could express his political views in a public store in such a blatant way without taking into account the feeling and sensitivity of visiting Jews or Israelis.”
The family, who visited Hayes Garden World in Ambleside (above), was abandoned by the display and claimed that the center “had not been a respect for the feeling and sensitivity of visiting Jews or Israelis”
After the complaint, British lawyers were contacted for Israel (UKLFI) and they warned Hayes Garden World that showing the Palestinian flag could be seen as support for the Palestinian case and against the state of Israel
After the complaint, British lawyers were contacted for Israel (UKLFI) and they warned Hayes Garden World that showing the Palestinian flag could be seen as supportive the Palestinian cause and against the state of Israel.
Uklfi also warned that the flag display could violate the equalities ACT 2010, which may create a 'hostile and intimidating atmosphere' for Jewish and Israeli customers.
After conducting an internal investigation, Hayes Garden World said that the staff member concerned did not intend to cause damage, but recognized the issue.
The center explained: “We do not encourage employees or allow to wear symbols or badges that show personal political views while they work.”
The Garden Center confirmed that it would update its dress code policy to ensure that 'all employees are aware of the expectations with regard to the requirements for clothing regulations'.
Caroline Turner, director of Uklfi, stated: “It is inevitable that your Jewish or Israeli customers will be intimidated by a Palestinian badge, apparently authorized by your company, being seen as part of the Hayes Garden World -Uniform, and will consider an enemy act for itself.”
A spokesperson for the campaign to anti -Semitism said: “People are tired of Palestinian activism that enters every part of their lives. But while extremism continues to grow in our country, what was once a form of virtue signaling has become something sinister.
After conducting an internal investigation, Hayes Garden World said that the staff member concerned did not intend to cause damage, but the problem recognized (file photo)
Likewise, High Street Retailer Currys Currys Axed Staff name Badges with the Palestinian flag has created an 'intimidating' environment for Jewish customers
'Jewish people in particular bear the victim, hardly able to enter a store or cultural institution, hospital or workplace without seeing symbols that they understandably associate with a negative feeling towards them.
'But more and more people are fighting back. We cannot allow this to be more normalized. '
Hayes Garden Center was approached for comment.
The decision of the garden center comes in the aftermath of similar movements by some of the largest NHS hospitals in London, who forbade staff to wear pro-Palestinian symbols after concern was raised by Jewish patients who found them 'indignant and intimidating'.
Barts Health NHS Trust confirmed the prohibition that affects five hospitals in the capital, including St. Barts and the Royal London.
Similarly, High Street Retailer Currys has Badges with the Palestinian flag at Axed Staff Name after complaints that they created an 'intimidating' environment for Jewish customers.
The badges were introduced as a way to indicate certain staff members, Arabic could speak, in accordance with the retailer's inclusion policy.
But after several complaints, Currys has 'stopped' flags in name badges and said that the alternatives would explore.
