The popular bakery chain Gail's has become the focus of escalating protests, with activists accusing the company of gentrification and drawing controversial links to Israel. At the forefront of recent campaigns, particularly in Brixton, south west London, is Marlo Swann McNair Plowden, a 28-year-old graphic designer described as a "wokerati" activist who grew up in a substantial family home.
Campaigns against Gail's have involved the erection of billboards and posters, some featuring images of loaves of bread strapped to bombs, urging the public to "avoid Gail's" and warning of a "rising threat." These materials link the bakery to what activists term "the genocidal state of Israel" and accuse the firm of embodying "late-stage gentrification."
Plowden, who uses the single name Marlo, has employed his graphic design skills for what he describes as "positive social change" and "infographic guerilla campaigns." He has previously participated in pro-Palestinian marches and anti-government demonstrations. He is identified as a leading figure in an underground organization called Strapline, which has claimed responsibility for the recent Gail's protests.
Despite his activism, Plowden hails from a privileged background. His family has historic ties to the British establishment. His grandfather, the Honourable William Julius Lowthian Plowden, was an academic and Conservative government advisor. His great-grandfather, Baron Edwin Plowden, was a prominent industrialist and senior public servant. Plowden himself received a first-class degree from Manchester Metropolitan University and has worked with organizations such as Extinction Rebellion.
The protests intensified in February when a Gail's branch in Archway, north London, was vandalized twice in one week. Windows were smashed, and anti-Zionist messages, including "Free Gaza" and "reject corporate Zionism," were sprayed on the premises. The Metropolitan Police investigated these incidents as hate crimes.
The bakery chain, founded by Gail Mejia in the 1990s, began as a wholesale craft bakery. In 2003, American investor Tom Molnar and Israeli Ran Avidan acquired a stake, and the first Gail's branded bakery opened in Hampstead in 2005. Since 2021, Gail's has been majority-owned by Bain Capital, an American private investment firm.
The anti-Gail's sentiment began with local residents in Walthamstow, east London, expressing concerns about gentrification when a new branch opened there in October 2024. Petitions were launched arguing that the chain's arrival could force independent traders to close and alter the area's character. Subsequently, anti-Israel activists joined the opposition, adding accusations related to the bakery's ownership and perceived links to Israel.