An Israeli tourist received an automated email from a hotel she had booked in Italy, informing her that the hotel was part of BDS Italy's "No Room for Genocide" campaign, leading her to cancel her booking.
"I wrote that I didn't feel safe to go there," the tourist, R, told N12. "It made me a little less eager to travel, but I'm getting over it. It's still a very unpleasant feeling, and it ruins my mood even before the trip."
In the emailed response, the hotel, Decumani Hotel De Charme, wrote that "This property endorses the No Room for Genocide campaign and respects freedom and human rights of communities suffering racist, ethnic, social, and other forms of harm and discrimination. We warmly welcome Palestinians, refugees and all those peacefully resisting oppression and struggling to attain their internationally recognized rights."
The goal of the No Room for Genocide campaign is to pressure countries to prosecute Israelis who are, as BDS Italy claims, "involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against Palestinians on their soil.
Automatic email, and background questions
The text in the email came from BDS Italy's No Room for Genocide toolkit, and BDS Italy recommends that it be included in confirmation emails for businesses who are part of the campaign and use booking.com.
"This email," BDS Italy explains, "Which typically explains logistical information and house rules, can include a brief message stating your position, welcoming guests from diverse backgrounds, and deterring suspected war criminals."
The toolkit also recommends that businesses request "background clarification" from guests to ensure that they are not:
- A citizen of a state that is convicted or credibly accused in international courts of perpetrating grave human rights violations, in particular atrocity crimes (war crimes, crimes against humanity or
genocide). - A person who has served in that state's military during the period in which the state is convicted or credibly accused of perpetrating such crimes.
R did not specify whether or not Decumani Hotel De Charme also requested background information about her.
London hotel puts 'Free Palestine' on Jewish guests' TVs
Last month, a visibly Jewish man found “Free Palestine” on the TV in his Travelodge room in London Manor House.
The video of the incident went viral on social media, and soon after, a friend of his, also visibly Jewish and checking into the same hotel, reported the same message on the TV in his room.
The first man also said he had been met with hostility from a staff member at the front desk, who refused to look at him or properly serve him.
Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.