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Turning away customers isn‘t easy for any business owner, but when it comes to values, Lush’s Mark Constantine refuses to compromise. The co-founder of the British self-care brand has a message for anyone opposed to its activism: “You shouldn’t come in my shop.”

Speaking to the BBC, the 73-year-old said he treats being called woke — a term often used in a derogatory sense to refer to social activists — as a badge of honour.

Last month, Lush’s campaign to raise funds for Gazan amputees by selling watermelon soap bars attracted the ire of zionists online resulting in calls for a boycott of the business. There were, naturally, many others who were supportive of the company’s initiative and challenged critics both with their keyboards and their wallets.

Constantine — who firmly refuses to sell his brand off in an effort maintain its integrity — also spoke about Ben & Jerry’s, another brand taking heat for its overt social activism and support for Palestine. The ice cream brand’s founders had disagreements with its former parent company — Unilever — about the scope of its social mission.

Constantine said, “If you’ve sold your business to someone else, I think you’re asking a lot for them to do everything you want. What should Ben and Jerry have done? They should never have sold.”

Last week, co-founder Ben Cohen announced he was taking the brand’s new parent — Magnum — to court for interfering with its independent board, which oversees social initiatives.

He responded to Constantine, saying, “I have a huge appreciation for Lush, their values, and how they use their most powerful tool — their voice — to advocate for those values.” He added that he’s not ‘asking’ for anything.

Apart from its soapy fundraisers, Lush also made its way into the headlines in September, when the brand shuttered its UK stores and website in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Retail locations across the country put up banners in their windows reading, “STOP STARVING GAZA — WE ARE CLOSED IN SOLIDARITY.”

The brand apologised to any customers inconvenienced by the step, but hoped they would understand.