One of Britain’s biggest airports is having its staff training overhauled after the incident (Image: Getty)
The UK’s fifth busiest airport is having to retrain its staff after an Israeli author claimed he was subjected to anti-Semitic discrimination. Luton Airport has apologised to Alon Penzel after it was revealed that a security officer allegedly made derogatory comments to him about Israel and the October 7 attacks.
The North London airport has told Mr Penzel it has now introduced “enhanced staff training” to strengthen its standards of “professionalism, equality and respect for all passengers”, following the incident in November. A security guard challenged Mr Penzel as he was moving to the departure gate for his return flight to Tel Aviv. At the time, he was wearing a T-shirt adorned with the slogan « End Jew Hatred » and carrying an A3 promotional sign with the title of his book, « Testimonies Without Boundaries, Israel: October 7th 2023« . Mr Penzel claimed that after passing through security checks, the guard stopped him and told him that his sign, which was turned towards his body with the wording partly visible, was “offensive”.
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Alon Penzel described the incident as ‘pure anti-Semitism’ (Image: alonpenzel/ Instagram)
The 23-year-old campaigner and journalist had spent a week in London promoting his book, featuring first-hand accounts from Hamas hostages and survivors of the October 7 massacre, which killed 1,200 people.
After being told that his sign was « offensive », three other security guards and two police officers arrived on the scene and took Mr Penzel to one side, away from the departure gate, before asking him about the materials he was carrying. Mr Penzel was subsequently accused of protesting, despite his explanation that he was merely transporting the prop for his book promotion through the airport.
The author said he was detained and questioned for about 90 minutes before being allowed to board his El Al flight. He said he was made to feel “uncomfortable and intimidated”.
“I felt like this was pure antisemitism,” he told The Telegraph. “I was telling them I was not a protester. They said they were reviewing CCTV footage of me because protests are not allowed in the airport. Eventually, they let me go. There was no apology, nothing.”
The October 7 attack in 2023 resulted in over 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages (Image: Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)
Mr Penzel reported that one of the security officers told him that the sign was “political” and made upsetting comments about the October 7 attack and called Israel an “illegal occupation since 1948”.
The case was taken up by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) and Daniel Berke of 3D Solicitors, who complained to Luton Airport about the treatment Mr Penzel received, claiming that he had been falsely imprisoned by the security guards and police, and had suffered discriminatory treatment on the grounds that he was Israeli and Jewish.
In its formal apology to Mr Penzel, Luton Airport stated: “We are writing in relation to the incident you reported that occurred on Nov 18, 2024, to offer our sincere and unreserved apology for your experience at London Luton Airport.
“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.”
Luton Airport is the fifth busiest airport in the UK, with about 16 to 17 million passengers annually (Image: Getty Images)
The airport added: “We also provide our clear and unequivocal assurance to our Jewish and Israeli passengers – and to you personally – that you are always welcome at London Luton Airport. Discrimination of any kind has no place in our organisation.”
Mr Penzel has welcomed the apology, stating: “I travelled to the United Kingdom to speak about the victims and survivors of the Oct 7 2023 atrocity. To then be stopped, questioned and detained while wearing a sweatshirt saying ‘End Jew Hatred’ was shocking and upsetting. I welcome the apology and the clear assurance that Jewish and Israeli passengers are welcome at London Luton Airport. I hope that what happened to me will lead to greater awareness and sensitivity going forward.”
According to The Telegraph, a London Luton Airport spokesman 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 Mr Penzel was allowed to board his flight and continue his journey.
« Whilst we do not accept every aspect of Mr 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.”
Luton Airport (LLA) is the fifth busiest airport in the UK. It is the fourth-largest airport in the London area (after Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted), with passenger numbers reaching about 16 to 17 million annually in recent record years.
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