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North London fruit stall forced to take down pro-Palestine stickers after council deems them ‘litter’ following UKLFI complaint
The stall bore slogans including ‘free Palestine’ and ‘end the apartheid’
August 7, 2025 15:26
The stall bore slogans including ‘free Palestine’ and ‘end the apartheid’
August 7, 2025 15:26A North London council has said it will remove "free Palestine" and "end the apartheid" stickers from a fruit stall outside Archway Tube Station after designating them as “litter”
The stickers, alongside the Palestinian flag, were plastered over the council-owned stall outside Archway Station were a source of complaints from often Jewish passersby. Several reports were sent to UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), prompting the legal group to contact Islington Council.
UKLFI argued that the stickers could be viewed as adverts for a political cause, which would require retrospective planning permission to be displayed.
The council subsequently sent an officer to inspect the stall, who responded in a letter to UKLFI saying: "The council wishes to ensure that the Archway town centre is a safe and welcoming place for all Islington’s communities.
"I have visited the stall and viewed the flag and stickers. Due to their small size and temporary nature, I have concluded that the flag and stickers are not advertisements. I have also observed that the flag has been installed inside rather than outside the market stall.
"The flag and stickers do not therefore require an application for advertisement consent."
However, the letter went on to say: "If it can be successfully argued that the stickers and flag are advertisements and have been erected in breach of the relevant Regulations, the Local Planning Authority must determine whether it would be expedient to take planning enforcement action.
"I do not consider it to be expedient or proportionate to take planning enforcement action in these circumstances. The council simply does not have the resources that are needed to take planning enforcement action against stickers or modestly-sized and temporary flags.
"I do however consider the stickers to be litter. The council’s common practice is to remove all temporary stickers from Islington’s streets and buildings. I have therefore spoken with colleagues. They will ensure that the stickers are removed from the market stall as soon as possible.
Caroline Turner, director of UK Lawyers for Israel, said: “We are pleased that Islington Council will clean up the offensive stickers from this fruit stall. It was upsetting for Jewish passersby to see these stickers on an Islington owned structure.
"Now that the stickers have been deemed 'litter' by the Council, it is an easy and quick process for them to be removed.”
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