A controversial door-to-door boycott campaign by pro-Palestinian activists in the UK is drawing fierce backlash after Jewish residents reported feeling intimidated in their own neighborhoods.

According to a report by The Telegraph, activists linked to the “Apartheid-Free Zone” (AFZ) movement have been canvassing homes in Hackney, Bristol, Sheffield, and Brighton, urging residents to boycott Israeli products.
Jewish organizations and political leaders say the campaign has crossed a dangerous line from protest into harassment.

The Community Security Trust (CST) condemned the door-knocking efforts, warning that “turning up uninvited at homes in an area with a large Jewish community to push a political agenda of this nature is intimidating and crosses a serious line.”

Tensions escalated further following an alleged incident in Sheffield, where a woman claimed she was headbutted by an AFZ-affiliated activist while counter-protesting with her partner. The incident has fueled growing calls for police scrutiny.

Labour MP Peter Kyle said he had reported the activity to authorities, raising concerns that it may constitute a hate crime.

“My immediate thought was for the appalling scenario of a vulnerable Jewish resident being door-knocked by a gang of people wanting to harangue them,” Kyle told Sky News.

Police have confirmed that no arrests have been made so far.

Hackney, in particular, is home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish populations outside of New York and Israel, making the door-to-door campaign especially sensitive.

Community leaders warn that targeting residential areas risks inflaming tensions and placing ordinary families in harm’s way.

“What begins as political activism,” one Jewish advocate said, “ends up feeling like a campaign of intimidation when it reaches people’s front doors.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)