HEATHROW STAFF 'HARASSED' ISRAELI PASSENGERS
Heathrow staff wearing pro-Palestine badges 'harassed' Israeli passengers and subjected them to 'degrading treatment'.
Passengers complained that they were targeted after staff noticed the Israeli flag on their luggage and were 'shunted' into 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 were 'detained for two hours' at Manchester Airport earlier this year.
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 official noticed the Israeli flags on their bags.
The officers ushered the whole group into a separate room for checks and the travellers said their luggage was scanned The Times reported.
One passenger told the group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) they were walking towards the exit when a customs officer appeared and demanded one of the passengers explain what was on his suitcase.
When the man replied that it was an Israeli flag, the the customs officer reportedly told all those on the flight to move to a separate room.
One traveller said that the customs officers had told them they could do whatever they wanted.
They added: 'It was a horrible feeling to be shunted into another room.'
The Home Office is now investigating the incident as staff wearing political badges is in contravention of both the airport's uniform policy and the Equality Act 2010.
According to UKLFI the security staff engaged in 'unwanted conduct' relevant to a protected characteristic - being Jewish and Israeli and as a result those people were intimidated.
This comes after two survivors of the October 7 attacks were dealt with aggressively by UK Border Force after they had travelled to the UK to raise awareness for a not-for-profit organisation they established to help survivors of the terror attacks.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Complaints regarding Border Force are dealt with in accordance with the Home Office's formal complaint procedures.
'Any complaint about the way in which Home Office staff or contractors' staff carry out their duties is viewed seriously.'
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