A British advertising company pulled out of a deal to project images of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza across London after receiving thousands of threats, according to reports Tuesday.
The move was assailed by Israel’s diplomats and its foreign minister as “a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in London raised funds and signed a contract with the London Lites company to show images on giant screens at multiple locations across London for two weeks, according to reports by Channel 12 and the UK’s Jewish News.
Several firms refused to take on the campaign before a deal was made with the company, according to Channel 12.
But in an unusual move, London Lites withdrew from the agreement and took down the images after six days due to threats it received, which included explicit threats directed at employees.
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Threats were also made by business owners whose shops were located next to the displayed images, the reports said.
Law enforcement is investigating the threats, Channel 12 reported.
File: Protesters raise images of those believed kidnapped by Hamas terrorists to Gaza during a demonstration in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in London, November 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung）
“We advocate for freedom of expression,” the company told the network. “We did not want to get to this situation, but the complaints grew and became aggressive. We were very worried about the threats our employees received.”
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called the move “a disgrace and a surrender to supporters of terrorism,” adding that “The attempt to silence our call to free the hostages will not succeed.”
Israel’s embassy in London also called out the company, which it said “caved to threats of an extreme minority in the UK, which forcefully tries to limit freedom of expression.”
“The embassy is considering further steps against the company,” it stated, vowing to continue to make efforts to spread awareness of those held in Gaza.
“There should be nothing controversial about raising awareness for innocent civilians being held hostage by a terror organization. This is a humanitarian cause. This breach of contract plays into the hands of terrorists by actively ignoring the war crimes of Hamas and also by succumbing to intimidation and threats in London,” the embassy added.
The Israeli Embassy to the UK, alongside the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in London, ran a digital campaign in London to show the images of those kidnapped by Hamas and still being held hostage in Gaza.
We regret that the ‘London Lites’ company caved to the threats of an… pic.twitter.com/nIIKxdW46l
— Israel in the UK ???????????????????? (@IsraelinUK) December 12, 2023
Since hostages were kidnapped, posters of captives have been targeted by pro-Palestinian activists around the world, with many videos circulating of people tearing them down in public places, often calling them Israeli “propaganda.”
Antisemitism and anti-Israel activity have surged since the Hamas-led massacres on October 7, when Palestinian terrorists stormed the border into southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and kidnapped at least 240.
It is believed that 135 hostages remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November. Four hostages were released prior to that, and one was rescued by troops. The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 18 of those still held by Hamas, due to new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.
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