London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

‘Normal people boycott Israel’: London bus stop ads in support of pro-‘BDS’ author criticized for promoting anti-Semitism

‘Normal people boycott Israel’: London bus stop ads in support of pro-‘BDS’ author criticized for promoting anti-Semitism

Guerilla bus stop advertisements reading “Normal people boycott Israel” went on display in London on Saturday, in solidarity with writer Sally Rooney for what its creators called her “principled stand” against Tel Aviv.

Prolific “subvertising agency” Protest Stencil unveiled its latest mainstream discourse-disrupting advert at the weekend. The posters, flyposted on London bus stops, read, “Normal people boycott Israel” and featured an image of a sardine tin, mirroring the cover of Rooney’s best-selling 2018 novel ‘Normal People’. The book was adapted for television in 2020, garnering popular and critical acclaim.

The Irish writer recently made headlines for refusing to sell the Hebrew translation rights to her latest novel, ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’, because of her stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Inside the poster’s open sardine tin is the pattern of the keffiyeh, the iconic Palestinian chequered black-and-white scarf that has long served as a symbol of Arab nationalism. The pattern is said to symbolize fishing nets and, in recent times, particularly the empty fishing nets of Gaza’s fishermen, whom Israel has denied full access to the sea.


In an Instagram post, Protest Stencil said the subversive advert had been created to offer its “respect to Sally Rooney for her principled stand in support of Palestinians”, and opined that you can tell a lot about people by whether they stand with “the coloniser or the colonised”.

The guerilla artists went on to contend that “normal people” around the world, including “the colonised, the exploited [and] the marginalised,” had “an instinctive solidarity with Palestinians resisting the theft of their homeland”. They added that all arguments against the campaign to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure it to comply with international law were built on a “shaky base”.

Unsurprisingly, Protest Stencil’s foray into the often-divisive topic of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories sparked fierce debate on social media, with many accusing the group of promoting anti-Semitism.

“Let’s be clear: Antisemites, haters & extremists boycott Israel,” wrote David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, who added that “normal people” learn, engage and visit Israel as well as benefit from the country’s innovations.

Journalist James McMahon concurred, adding that “normal people” do not have an “unhealthy obsession with 0.2% of the world’s population” – an apparent reference to Jews.

Others took aim at Sally Rooney. Israeli-Arab correspondent Yoseph Haddad stated that one could read a translation of ‘Normal People’ in Iran and China because the author didn’t care about human-rights violations there – only in Israel and Palestine. “Normal people boycott Israel? No, antisemites like Sally do,” he wrote.

One commenter questioned why “normal people” wanted to “normalize Jew hatred and the destruction of Israel”. He said the poster campaign had no other objective than to “boycott”, “demonise” and “erase”.

Another Twitter user replied with a photo of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, posing with a child armed with a gun, adding the words “normal people.”


Some said they supported the aims of the poster. One person tweeted, “Well said. Much respect to Sally Rooney”, while another said, “The one and only @protestencil has outdone themselves with this”.

In a further twist, JCDecaux, the company that owns the illuminated advertising space at bus stops, took to Twitter to say that, after one of its representative had visited the location, it was of the view that the photos of the flyposted adverts had either been faked or Photoshopped. However, the tweet was later deleted, although the firm still contends it found no evidence of the posters in question. US organization StopAntisemitism.org called on it to get to the bottom of the issue and to find out exactly who had “authorized” them.

Rooney was heavily criticized last week for refusing to sell the translation rights to her latest novel to Israel’s Modan Publishing House, which had translated her previous two books. She is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to put economic and moral pressure on Tel Aviv to change its policies toward Palestinians. The author later said she’d be happy for the book to be available in Hebrew if the translation were boycott-compliant.

BDS is considered a national threat by the Israeli government, which claims its supporters are attempting to deny Israel’s right to exist.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×