South Yorkshire Police opened an investigation Sunday following a violent confrontation that broke out in Sheffield between pro-Palestinian activists who knocked on doors demanding residents boycott Israeli products and those who opposed them, calling them "Jew hunters." The incident is part of a growing phenomenon of pro-Palestinian boycott groups operating door-to-door across Britain and documenting those who refuse to support the boycott.
The activists filmed in videos circulated on social media belong to a group called SAFZ (Sheffield Apartheid Free Zone), which has been operating for months in Sheffield neighborhoods. The group, which has received support from former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, distributes materials calling for boycotts of Israeli products, claiming "Israel thrives on international support."
The group's explanatory materials state, "When we choose not to buy Israeli goods, it hurts them in the most central place – their economy. Boycotts have worked before. They were a powerful factor in ending apartheid in South Africa and together we can replicate that success."
This man confirmed they were knocking on doors and taking a note of addresses not supportive of their anti-Jew leaflets.
Woodseats Sheffield today. A Jew hunt. @LightninLex pic.twitter.com/P00HrDyY97
— Jean Hatchet (@JeanHatchet) February 15, 2026
The confrontation broke out after pro-Israel activists who became aware of the group's activity on social media arrived in the Woodseats neighborhood in the southern part of the city. Jean Hatchet, a local feminist activist, and her partner confronted the pro-Palestinian activists and followed them through the streets while shouting "Jew hunters are coming" and waving a sign reading "No tolerance for Jew hatred." The activists began to retreat when they noticed they were being filmed, but after an exchange of words, one of them grabbed the sign from Hatchet's partner's hands and hit her on the head, according to her testimony. Hatchet filed a police complaint for assault motivated by religion.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Hatchet claimed the group maintains a "blacklist" of Israel supporters. "They're taking addresses of people who don't agree with their point of view," she said. "We have data protection regulations in this country and they're committing acts that cross the boundaries of what's permitted." In a video filmed at the scene, one of the pro-Palestinian activists is heard confirming that the group "records the doors we knocked on" and documents the responses – "no answer, not interested, or supportive."
The phenomenon is not limited to Sheffield. Last Saturday, pro-Palestinian activists were filmed in Brighton knocking on doors and asking residents to sign a commitment to boycott Israeli products. Vicky Bogel, founder of the Brighton-based group "Jewish and Proud," told the Jewish Chronicle she noticed eight teams of volunteers who went "systematically from house to house" with a clipboard and list of addresses. "They found out who has 'Zionist tendencies' and who doesn't and where they live," she said. "This is cunning and dangerous activity, we're talking about an intimidation campaign at another level." Similar campaigns are also operating in Bristol, Hackney, Cardiff, Belfast, and Glasgow.
The activity has sparked sharp reactions in the British political arena. Chris Philp, Shadow Home Secretary from the Conservative Party, told the Jewish Chronicle, "Going door to door and intimidating people to agree to boycott Israel – the only Jewish state in the world – is dark and threatening activity that has no place in Britain." Peter Kyle, Britain's Trade Secretary and a Member of Parliament from the Brighton area, demanded police investigate the groups on suspicion of hate crimes and incitement. Sussex Police, responsible for the Brighton area, announced that, for its part, "at this stage there is no evidence of criminal activity."
On the website of the pro-Palestinian group in Brighton, Israel is described as "a racist and murderous state guilty of illegal occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian lands" and compared to the apartheid regime in South Africa. In Sheffield, too, the leaflets distributed by activists include a similar comparison and call on residents to create an "apartheid-free zone." Since the October 7 massacre, there has been a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Britain.
In a survey conducted last year commissioned by the organization "Campaign Against Antisemitism," it was found that half of young Britons feel uncomfortable spending time with people who openly support Israel, and half of Britons believe Israel treats Palestinians the way the Nazis treated Jews.
