Thanks to Seymour for the video.

Saturday, 2 April 2011 – Today’s sunny, mild weather was a perfect setting for this special gathering to celebrate the news released Thursday in ‘JCrap’ (the Jewish Chronicle) that Ahava’s lease will not be renewed in September due to continuous protests and direct actions organised by human-rights activists during the past two years.

Before the protest began, someone had stuck several Palestine flag stickers on the front of the shop. A great way to kick off the festivities!

About fifty campaigners toasted their victory with bubbly, waved Palestinian flags, listened to Arabic music played on an iPod connected to speakers and vowed to follow Ahava wherever they may relocate to.

Despite no more than seven Zionists present and the news that Ahava will not have its lease renewed thanks to continuous protests by human-rights activists, Jonathan Hoffman, Co Vice-Chair of the Zionist Federation bizarrely called the counter-protest ‘a success’.

Sarah Colborne of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, a major supporter, was present and two special people from Scotland who your correspondent last saw in the West Bank village of Al-Masara a year ago, travelled all the way from Glasgow to be here today.

An embittered Hoffman, an excellent ambassador for Zionism who played an invaluable role in helping to facilitate Ahava’s departure was thanked by protesters, to which he repeatedly replied, “Go f*** off scum!” This was followed by Hoffie yelling, “queen of the renegade Jews!” to one particular demonstrator.

Thank you again Jonathan for making our job that much easier. We couldn’t have done it without you.

As usual, the only customers that went into the shop during the protest were known Zionists who left waving empty Ahava bags to the lone cheer of Hoffman, which was drowned out by the celebration of the human-rights activists.

Semi-regular Zionist counter-demonstrator Harvey (who looks so much like Hoffman that we assume he’s his twin brother) was also in a celebratory mood, offering sweets to demonstrators. One demonstrator commented, “I’d rather get into a car with a stranger, than take anything from that man.” Not suprisingly, no one accepted any sweets.

Maybe Harvey is an anti-Zionist mole, just like Jonathan must be.

Self-proclaimed ‘anti-fascist‘ and trade unionist Ian Sternberg, who’s on the Executive Council of the Zionist Federation, travelled all the way from Oxford with a prop Ahava bag that looked like it had seen better days. Despite our major differences, at least Ian confronted yet another Zionist disaster with dignity, in contrast to several London-based counter-protesters including the Zionist hack propagandist and the willowy, bearded flag-waver who were probably too ashamed and embarrassed to turn up.

There were eight police constables assigned to protect this illegal business, which was yet another criminal waste of police resources. The only major incident was when one Zionist counter-protester, who goes by the name of ’Sharon Klaff’ called a Jewish protester, a “Dirty little Jew boy”. After a complaint was made to police, she was given a warning. Echoes of last year when an employee of Ahava called a Jewish protester a ‘Christ-killer.’

Like attracts like I guess.

Protesters vowed that regular protests will continue on Monmouth Street until the shop is empty.

Here are a few images:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.