Lush faces backlash after ‘boycott Israel’ sign appears in shop window

Lush said the sign was ‘swiftly removed’

The sign in a Dublin branch was ‘swiftly removed’ (@benonwine / X)

Lush has come under fire after a “boycott Israel” sign was displayed in its shop window in Dublin.

The sign appeared in the high street retailer’s store in Henry Street amid the escalating war between Israel and Hamas.

Pictures of the sign were posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, with some calling on people to boycott Lush and others calling it “appalling”.

A Lush spokesperson said the sign was “swiftly removed” and that they “deplore all acts of violence and our wish is for peace and safety for all Israeli and Palestinian people”.

The sign has now been changed to read “come check out our exclusive knotwraps”, but customers online said their response is not enough as the “damage has been done”.

Posting a picture of the image, one social media user wrote: “What the hell is this Lush. This is disgusting can you please comment?”

Another wrote: “This is appalling, especially for a store that’s not operating franchises, whatever your political views this sign should not be given the light of day in a shop window.”

The controversy comes as Israel has turned the full might of its army onto pounding the 42-km long territory in retaliation for a surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas at the weekend which Israel authorities say killed 1,300 people.

Fire and smoke rise from an explosion on a Palestinian apartment tower following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City (AP)

As part of the surprise attacks, Hamas militants blew open border fences, infiltrated towns, killed civilians and soldiers and took over 100 hostages on Saturday morning.

In Gaza, more than 1,500 people — including 500 children and 267 women — have been killed since Israel started strikes on Gaza following the deadly Hamas attack on Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

A Lush spokesperson told The Independent: “We are a diverse company with staff of all ethnicities and religions whose personal views and opinions may vary, however, the following is our Company position.

“Lush deplores all violence and all injustice. Our wish is for peace and safety for all Israeli and Palestinian people. We support the upholding of international law and the human rights of all peoples.”