Hornby Hobbies has withdrawn from sale its Humbrol Acrylic Paint Pens which featured  an image of graffiti saying “Gaza”.   The pens will be repackaged with an alternative design.

This follows a complaint by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) who pointed out that the image is not only politically charged but is highly distressing to members of the Jewish and Israeli communities. The image could be reminiscent of 7 October 2023, when Hamas murdered, raped, burnt and mutilated around 1200 people, kidnapped over 250 and has resulted in the tragic loss of life on both sides and the continued captivity of many of the hostages.

Additionally, by displaying the word “Gaza” on a product in this context, Hobbycraft may be seen as suggesting to customers that these pens could be used to graffiti offensive or racially abusive messages, which could be an offence under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, the Highways Act 1980 and/or other legislation.

It also appeared unnecessary to use the word “Gaza” to illustrate the use of the product, rather than any other word since the product is unrelated to any political material.

UKLFI also explained that Humbrol has a responsibility under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 to ensure its advertising is not misleading or offensive, and to maintain standards that reflect its duty of care to diverse communities and customers.

Humbrol has confirmed that Hobbycraft and the two other Retailers that were selling the product have immediately removed it from sale. The limited stock held in their warehouse has been blocked from being sold until it is repackaged with an amended design.

Humbrol has apologised for the incident and said:  “… there was no intention to cause offense to any party when the packaging was created a while ago, predating all the current management. For context, the explanation provided is that it was meant to be a representation of graffiti by a fictitious customer called ‘Gary.’ Clearly a poor decision (and a misspelling in any event, given it should actually have said ‘Gazza’) and it is extremely unfortunate that it slipped through our sign off processes, unnoticed, at the time.”

Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI commented: “We are happy that Hornby Hobbies have dealt swiftly and decisively with this issue.”