A London nightclub run by an Israeli army medic was targeted with a package of baby clothes painted red with the message: “Your boss is a Zionist murderer.”
The package was mailed to a club called E1, co-founded by Yuval Henn, a former medical officer in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
The club has been the subject of calls for a boycott by pro-Palestinian activists protesting the war in Gaza.
Friends said Mr Heng traveled to Israel after his “life fell apart” after the October 7 massacre by Hamas. Having lost his friends and family on the day terrorists killed around 1,200 people, he “left everything” to support his home country.
Last month, he decided to return permanently to Israel and returned to the UK for a week to prepare for his departure, including quitting his job at the club he has managed since 2015.
When he returned to London, he and two members of his staff found themselves in the mail with baby clothes painted red and a message addressed to them. He then returned to Israel.
Clubs subject to boycott call
His club has been the target of a boycott call by a group calling itself Labor for Palestine, which has released a video showing Mr Heng “fighting alongside the Israeli Defense Forces during the ongoing ground invasion of Gaza.” He said he posted a screenshot of it on Instagram.
She added: “No one wants to lose another London rave venue. However, there are many actors in our culture who engage in colonial violence, especially those in positions of power and ownership. There is no place for agency. We urge all ravers and DJs to boycott E1 until further notice.”
Mr Heng said in a statement to DJ promoters and others in the nightclub industry: I wanted to reach out to you personally to explain my reasoning behind this and assure you that the club will be left in good hands. I resigned from my job in October for personal reasons.
“The Israeli-Palestinian crisis changed my life and I didn’t see myself celebrating or being in a happy environment, so I chose to go home and be with my family and help my doctor’s work. I returned last week to arrange for my formal departure and resignation as Director so as not to affect E1 and its team.
“I would like to thank you for working with me thus far and look forward to continuing your relationship with E1 after I leave.”
Former police officer Oliver Lawrence told the Telegraph: Week after week, we see actions and activities by pro-Palestinian marchers that go unchallenged by the authorities. The Jewish community has a right to be horrified by the inaction of its police leaders. ”