Police in northern England are investigating multiple assault allegations following a confrontation between pro-Palestinian activists and local residents during a door-to-door boycott campaign in Sheffield.
South Yorkshire Police said officers are examining reports that a man was assaulted and that a person was the victim of a religiously motivated assault Sunday morning in the Woodseats area of the city. Authorities are also reviewing video footage circulating on social media and assessing whether any of it has been edited.
'You are Jew hunting': Sheffield erupts over pro-Palestinian door-knocking campaign
The incident occurred as members of the Sheffield Apartheid-Free Zone campaign were canvassing residents, urging them to boycott Israeli products as part of a broader grassroots movement aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign.
Campaigner Jean Hatchet, who is not Jewish, told the Daily Mail that she and her partner confronted the activists after learning about the canvassing on social media. Video footage shared online shows an altercation during which Hatchet and her partner accused the activists of conducting a “Jew hunt.”
During the confrontation, one of the activists appeared to headbutt Hatchet’s partner, according to video cited by the newspaper. In additional footage, an activist is seen grabbing and folding a sign reading “No tolerance for Jew hatred” from Hatchet’s partner’s hands. Hatchet said she reached to retrieve the sign and was assaulted. Police have confirmed they are investigating multiple reports of assault.
Hatchet told the Daily Mail that she believes the activists were targeting specific residents and recording addresses of those who do not support a boycott of Israel.
“It makes no real difference what they think they are doing. They are taking addresses of people who don’t agree with their point of view,” she said.
The Sheffield Apartheid-Free Zone group, one of several similar grassroots campaigns in Britain, distributes leaflets urging residents to avoid purchasing Israeli goods, arguing that economic pressure is a legitimate means of opposing Israel’s policies in Gaza. A leaflet shared online by the group states that boycotts were instrumental in ending apartheid in South Africa and can be effective again.
Critics argue that such door-to-door campaigns risk encouraging antisemitism or causing Jewish residents to feel intimidated. Supporters of the canvassing say they are opposing Israeli government policies and deny that their actions are antisemitic.
South Yorkshire Police said officers have been present in the area to provide reassurance and are working to establish the full circumstances of the incident.
Similar tensions have surfaced elsewhere in England. In Brighton earlier this month, members of the Brighton and Hove Apartheid-Free Zone were filmed going door-to-door urging residents to sign a pledge against Israeli goods. Jewish activists there accused the group of intimidation, while Sussex Police said they found no evidence of criminal activity.
The boycott campaigns have gained visibility since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks. The conflict has intensified debate in Britain and coincided with a reported rise in antisemitic incidents nationwide.