At the weekend pro-Palestinian activists sprayed red paint over the outside of the Oasis gaming centre building on Shipquay Street using a fire extinguisher.
Activists in Ireland and Britain have been spraying red paint on properties they believe to have links to Israel, particularly those manufacturing weapons, saying it represents “Palestinian bloodshed”.
Socialist Republicans For Palestine posted a video of the incident saying they were taking “direct action”.
They also made reference to the “ethnic cleansing and genocide the Palestinian & Lebanese people”.
They shared an image of Gerald Steinberg, who founded Oasis Retail Services Ltd in 1968 and now runs a significant operation with around 140 staff across Northern Ireland.
An online biography also describes him as the President of Northern Ireland Friends of Israel and Deputy Chair of the Belfast Jewish Community.
The PSNI is treating the incident as a “hate crime” and appealed for information from the public.
Raising the incident at a council meeting, UUP councillor Darren Guy said it has “quite rightly been declared a hate crime”, adding that the actions were “wrong, unjustified and cause great stress and anxiety amongst the employees”.
Mr Guy added: “This incident, just like others that have happened throughout the years… things like this put companies off, certain companies have blacklisted this area, from America, because of things that have happened in the past.”
This was an apparent reference to the Raytheon Nine, when a a group of anti-war activists wrecked the offices of the defence software company in Derry in 2006, in the belief that its missiles were being used by Israel.
Four years later, Raytheon announced the closure of its Springtown plant.
The UUP councillor believes the city “will miss out again on well-paid jobs” in what is “the most deprived council area in the UK”.
“The staff are constantly verbally abused by people entering the premises or when standing outside to have a smoke. Passers-by shout out the car window, ‘Jew lover’ or ‘Jew-loving b*******’, excuse my language there,” he said.
“And many see this as acceptable. It’s not, it’s degrading, but at least they’re getting up each day and earning a living.
“These actions need called out by all parties and the intimidation of the staff needs to stop.”
DUP councillor Julie Middleton supported Mr Guy’s comments, saying everyone “should call out this despicable behaviour”, adding that it’s a “hate crime”.
People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin said “if there wasn’t a genocide happening in Gaza, I doubt that (Oasis) would’ve been painted red”.
He told the meeting that “50,000 people have been slaughtered”, many of them children.
Mr Harkin added: “It tells us so much that we’re told that this is a hate crime by parties that have went over and stood with the genocide supporters.”
He was referencing the fact DUP MLAs and MPs, including Foyle MLA Gary Middleton, visited Israel at the invitation of ELNET UK, a pro-Israel organisation which paid for the trips.
Mr Harkin concluded: “The world is holding Israel to account because governments won’t do it.”
He questioned councillors criticising “people taking action” who haven’t criticised Israel, the US Government and British Government for the war in Palestine, invasion of Lebanon and threat of a regional war that will “endanger all of us”.
Mr Harkin said he “hasn’t heard stories about people being shouted at with antisemitic remarks” and said if it’s true “it is wrong” and “misplaced”.
