Heathrow staff, wearing pro-Palestinian insignia, ‘harassed’ Israeli passengers and subjected them to ‘degrading treatment’.
Passengers complained they were targeted after staff noticed the Israeli flag on their luggage and were ‘shunned’ to a separate room.
When passengers asked why they were being treated differently, staff reportedly told them that as customs officials they could do whatever they wanted.
The complaints have prompted a Home Office investigation by their professional standards unit.
This comes after two Israeli survivors of the Nova Music Festival attacks earlier this year were ‘held for two hours’ at Manchester Airport.
Heathrow staff wearing pro-Palestinian insignia harassed Israeli passengers after noticing an Israeli flag on their luggage while passing through customs
The Ministry of the Interior is investigating the complaints. Staff wearing political badges is in breach of both the airport’s uniform policy and the Equality Act 2010
The passengers arrived at Heathrow on an El Al flight from Ben Gurion Airport and were passing through the airport at 10.30pm when a customs officer noticed the Israeli flags on their bags.
The officers led the entire group to a separate area for checks and the travelers said their luggage had been scanned, The Times reported.
One passenger told the group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) that they were walking towards the exit when a customs officer appeared and demanded one of the passengers explain what was in his suitcase.
When the man replied that it was an Israeli flag, the customs officer told all passengers to go to a separate room.
One traveler said customs officials told them they could do whatever they wanted.
They added: ‘It was a terrible feeling to be shunted to another room.’
The Home Office is now investigating the incident, as staff wearing political badges is in breach of both the airport’s uniform policy and the Equality Act 2010.
According to UKLFI, security staff engaged in ‘unwanted behaviour’ related to a protected characteristic: being Jewish and Israeli, and as a result these people were intimidated.
This comes after two survivors of the October 7 attacks were aggressively tackled by the UK Border Force after traveling to Britain to raise awareness for a non-profit organization they set up to help survivors of the terror attacks.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘Complaints about Border Police are dealt with in accordance with the Home Office’s formal complaints procedures.
“Any complaint about the way in which Home Office employees or contractors carry out their duties will be taken seriously.”