Tis newspaper does not believe in formalised boycotts. But the behaviour of Lush, the skincare chain, may well prompt individuals to decide that they do not wish to hand over cash to the company. Lush says that it will not open a store in Israel because it would not be able to employ a "mixed" workforce.
Leave aside the calumny of that remark, which accepts as fact the lies spread by anti-Zionist activists. To argue that operating in Israel is beyond the pale because it is not an open society, but having stores in Saudi Arabia is fine and dandy, gives new meaning to the word hypocrisy.
There are few more repressive nations on earth than Saudi Arabia. Lush refuses to operate in Israel, the only genuine democracy in the Middle East; it happily sets up shop in Saudi Arabia. But that is not the half of it. On its website, Lush promotes the anti-Israel campaign song "Freedom for Palestine". There seems to be a pattern here, and it is not a pleasant one. Three weeks after Lush opened in Brent Cross, it is hard not to conclude that it is a skincare shop with an agenda.
