Signs twinning seaside town with Israeli city removed

Signs twinning an Israeli city with a British seaside town have been removed.

There were four signs on the outskirts of Bournemouth, Dorset recognising one of its twin cities – Netanya in Israel.

But the signs have now been taken down by an unknown person, sparking uproar in the coastal resort.

Anne Filer, the town’s Jewish mayor, said she was “very upset and disappointed”.

Ms Filer said: “It might be something completely harmless and there may be a very simple explanation.

“I hope that the police investigation finds them soon and gets them back to where they should be.”

When Dorset Police were contacted by the Telegraph, a spokesman said they had no record of the incident.

Bournemouth has been twinned with Netanya, which is a resort city known for its sandy beaches, since 1995.

Signs marking the relationship have been removed from “welcome to Bournemouth” signs at Mountbatten Roundabout, Ringwood Road, Magna Road and New Road.

Michael Filer, chairman of the twinning committee, said: “It could possibly be nothing, no problem whatsoever, that somebody is doing some kind of repair work or the other kind.

“But there could be unpleasant intent... we would like to get them back. Bournemouth has been twinned with Netanya, who went through the Bournemouth council some 20 years ago, and there have been inter-town visits on a frequent basis.

“I look forward to them being put back again and carrying on with normal procedures.”

A spokesman for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council said it was not responsible for taking down the signs.

“We have been made aware that some signage has been removed at Mountbatten Roundabout and several other locations,” the spokesman said.

“We are currently looking into this issue.”

The removal of the signs has sparked uproar on social media, with one local describing it as a “woke virtue signalling exercise”.

Andrew Marshall said: “It is unacceptable and it’s a strange coincidence they have disappeared at the time of this trouble. The disappearance of these signs could be classed as an anti-Semitic crime.

“These signs have been removed deliberately as a woke virtue signalling exercise so as not to offend. Pathetic.”

Bournemouth has one of the largest Jewish communities in the UK and was at one point a popular Jewish holiday resort with a number of kosher hotels.

However, there have also been a number of pro-Palestine protest marches held in the town since the war in Gaza started in October last year.

In February Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood was targeted by pro-Palestine protesters who gathered outside his home with signs accusing him of being complicit in genocide.

Earlier this year activists from Led by Donkeys, a campaign group, laid out a three-mile line of children’s clothes along Bournemouth beach to represent the children killed on both sides of the conflict.