Two guests who appeared Jewish say they were targeted at a popular hotel in north London when a welcome screen on the in-room television displayed the message “Free Palestine” instead of a standard greeting or their names. The guests filmed the incident on their phones and said the display appeared designed to offend them personally because of their identity.
They also reported a hostile and discriminatory encounter with one member of the hotel staff, which made them feel the incident was deliberate rather than a technical mistake. The article notes that many hotel chains use centralized systems that let reception or service staff enter custom text for room televisions, raising suspicion that an employee used that access to place the message.
A formal complaint was filed with the London Police and Hackney police station, and the case was logged under a police reference number for further investigation. North and East London’s Shomrim group, which works to protect the local Jewish community, shared the footage online and said it had notified the authorities.
Shomrim demanded an immediate internal inquiry by the hotel chain, suspension of the staff involved, and harsh disciplinary action. The group said the conduct had all the signs of a targeted antisemitic incident aimed at Jewish guests.
