Currys Ends Use of Palestinian Flag Name Badges Amid Customer Complaints

Currys, a prominent retailer with around 300 stores in the UK and Ireland, had previously introduced a policy allowing staff members to wear name badges featuring the Palestinian flag. This was intended to signal to customers that the wearers could speak Arabic, providing a helpful service for those in need of language-specific assistance.

However, following several complaints from Jewish and Israeli customers, the company has come under scrutiny. One incident involved an Israeli customer at a Cambridge branch who felt uncomfortable when approached by a sales assistant wearing the flag badge. The customer expressed that the badge’s presence made him feel unwelcome and unsettled, and he chose to leave the store after a manager intervened during the incident.

In another case at a Hemel Hempstead branch, a Jewish customer reported feeling uncomfortable due to the badge, which he interpreted as a political statement rather than a mere language indicator. The incident escalated when, after the customer took a photograph of the assistant’s badge, he was reportedly reprimanded by other staff. The situation intensified further with allegations that staff followed him and documented details about his family and vehicle.

The complaints, which have been supported by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), suggest that the flag could be seen as a symbol opposing the state of Israel and might even be interpreted as supporting recent violent events in the region. Currys is currently investigating these incidents and is considering other ways to indicate language skills without the contentious display of the flag.