Badge affair resolved

Outdoor clothing and equipment retailer Kathmandu has told a staff member to remove their “Free Palestine” badge at its DFO South Wharf store and announced a refresher on uniform policy for all staff.

This follows a media inquiry from The AJN to the company’s head office.

The incident came to light when a young Jewish woman, who asked to be identified only as Liv, visited the store on Monday, January 12, with her boyfriend to purchase a duffel bag for her upcoming gap year trip to Israel.

“I saw that [the person behind the counter] was wearing a Free Palestine badge. And I felt quite uncomfortable because I was going to talk about my gap year trip,” Liv told The AJN.

“It made me feel very uncomfortable and targeted. I just felt like I didn’t have any right to purchase something that I needed.”