Passengers arrive at the terminal building of Luton airport (Credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)Getty Images
According to Penzel, the officer told him the sign was “offensive”. Within minutes, several other security guards and two police officers arrived and escorted him away from the departure gate. He said they questioned him for about 90 minutes while staff reviewed CCTV footage and investigated whether he was staging a protest inside the airport – despite his repeated assurances that he was not.
Eventually he was released and allowed to board the El Al flight, but Penzel said there was no apology and the experience left him feeling “uncomfortable and intimidated”.
“I felt like this was pure antisemitism,” he told the Telegraph. Penzel also alleges that one officer described his sign as “political” and made disparaging remarks about Israel, including upsetting comments about the October 7 attacks and claims that Israel has been an “illegal occupation since 1948”.
According to UK Lawyers for Israel, who assisted the case, a security officer had tried to make a political point that October 7 was Israel’s own fault and “payback for Israel’s historic wrongs. Moreover, he appeared to blame Penzel for the imagined actions of past Israeli governments. He appeared to be punishing Penzel on the basis of his own antisemitic attitude, by detaining him.”
[Missing Credit]The poster Alon Penzel was carrying (Photo: Alon Penzel)
Luton Airport has since offered its “sincere and unreserved apology” to Penzel over the experience.
“The safety and security of the airport is our highest priority, and we are required to uphold strict safety and security standards at all times. However, we fully acknowledge that your experience fell below the customer service standards we expect and strive to uphold.
“Following your complaint, we have introduced enhanced training for our staff to reinforce our commitment to ensuring that every passenger is treated with fairness, courtesy, and respect.”
The airport added: “We also provide our clear and unequivocal assurance to our Jewish and Israeli passengers… that you are always welcome at London Luton Airport. Discrimination of any kind has no place in our organisation.”
Penzel welcomed the apology, stating: “I travelled to the United Kingdom to speak about the victims and survivors of the October 7 atrocity. To then be stopped, questioned and detained while wearing a sweatshirt saying, ‘End Jew Hatred’ was shocking and upsetting.”
He added: “I hope that what happened to me will lead to greater awareness and sensitivity going forward.”
A London Luton Airport spokesperson said: “Airport staff were alerted to the presence of a passenger who was carrying a placard at the boarding gate for a flight to Tel Aviv. To ensure the safety of passengers, police were asked to attend, before Penzel was allowed to board his flight and continue his journey. Whilst we do not accept every aspect of Penzel’s complaint, we recognise that there were elements of this interaction that did not fully meet our high customer service standards we strive to deliver, and for that we apologise. However, we will never compromise on safety and security, which remains our top priority.”
