UNICEF UK has taken “immediate action” over serious allegations concerning one of its marketing staff, after UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) raised concerns about merchandise on his own website appearing to promote violence against Israelis and Zionists.

Muhammad Karim’s employment with UNICEF now appears to have ended according to his LinkedIn account.  UKLFI wrote to UNICEF UK on 9 August 2026 regarding Muhammad Karim, who was described on LinkedIn as a Marketing Manager at UNICEF UK and was also listed in an organisational directory as a Marketing Specialist.

The complaint followed research by antisemitism-monitoring group GnasherJew, which linked Karim to an online shop called Solid Mujahid. The shop sold T-shirts, hoodies, caps and other merchandise carrying violent anti-Israel imagery and slogans. The shop was subsequently taken offline.

Among the material identified by UKLFI was a T-shirt depicting a watermelon throwing a flaming Molotov cocktail at an Israeli tank. Karim allegedly advertised it as an “epic representation of resistance” against what he called “the absolute worst of humanity, the IDF and its ilk”.

Other merchandise included hoodies bearing the slogan “Death Death to the IDF”, caps displaying an inverted red triangle and a T-shirt showing a red triangle over an Israeli tank. Karim also allegedly posted an image on 7 October 2024 declaring support for “armed resistance”.

UKLFI was particularly concerned about a T-shirt promoted by Karim which carried the names of Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Ahmad Yassin, alongside other historical and political figures. Karim allegedly described those named as “Champions of truth throughout history”, while an accompanying promotional image showed a man holding a flaming Molotov cocktail.

Another item sold by the shop bore the slogan “Punch a Zionist” above an image apparently depicting a person carrying a Palestinian flag punching someone marked with an Israeli flag. The screenshot taken by UKLFI showed the shirt advertised for £18.

UKLFI told UNICEF that the material raised potential concerns under UK terrorism legislation, including provisions relating to expressions of support for proscribed organisations and encouragement or glorification of terrorism. It stressed that whether any criminal offence had been committed was ultimately a matter for the appropriate authorities.

UKLFI also said the “Punch a Zionist” merchandise raised a particularly serious concern because it appeared expressly to advocate physical violence against a category of people. UKLFI argued that such material could also create an intimidating or hostile environment for Jewish people who identify as Zionists, or are perceived to be Zionists.

UKLFI asked UNICEF UK urgently to investigate whether the accounts and shop were operated by Karim, whether the conduct was compatible with UNICEF UK’s Code of Conduct and safeguarding requirements, and whether any material should be referred to police or Counter Terrorism Policing.

UNICEF UK responded just two days later.

Its Chief Executive, Dr Philip Goodwin, told UKLFI:

“We are aware of the serious allegations concerning this employee and took immediate action commensurate with the alleged conduct.”

UNICEF said that because the issue was an employment matter involving confidentiality and data-protection obligations, it was unable to comment further.

UKLFI welcomed UNICEF UK’s rapid response but said the allegations demonstrated the importance of charities applying their codes of conduct consistently, particularly where employees are publicly associated with material appearing to celebrate violence or proscribed terrorist organisations.

A UKLFI spokesperson said:

“UNICEF UK appears to have recognised immediately the seriousness of the material we brought to its attention. An organisation dedicated to protecting children and promoting their rights cannot credibly be associated with advocacy of political violence, praise for Hamas leaders or merchandise telling people to ‘Punch a Zionist’. We welcome UNICEF UK’s prompt action and hope that the matter will now be investigated thoroughly.”