Oakland coffee shop dismisses staff for anti-Semitic behavior towards Jewish customer
Oakland Coffee Shop Fires Employees for Anti-Semitic Behavior
A coffee shop in Oakland, California, called Farley’s East, has recently made headlines after firing three employees who were caught on video engaging in “anti-Semitic behavior” towards a Jewish customer.
On Monday, three baristas at Farley’s East were fired after a video surfaced showing them preventing a Jewish woman from entering the coffee shop’s bathroom.
The owners of the coffee shop also acknowledged the presence of anti-Semitic graffiti in their bathrooms, which had been there for several months.
Farley’s East Coffee Shop released a statement addressing the incident.
“We condemn the genocide being committed against the people of Gaza, and we stand against the continuous displacement and oppression of the West Bank by the Israeli government,” their statement read. “We stand against racism and antisemitism in all its forms.”
The three baristas had prevented the woman from entering the bathroom to take a photo of the anti-Semitic writings on the wall, which included messages like “Zionism=Fascism” and “your neutrality is enabling genocide.”
The Jewish customer was shocked as the employees repeatedly blocked her and told her to leave the premises.
One employee reportedly said, “I know Israel loves taking private property and saying it’s their own, but we gotta head.”
The Jewish woman responded in disbelief, saying, “You are not going to let me in the restroom?” when she was accused of “misgendering a colleague” and asked to leave again.
The altercation continued as the Jewish woman questioned why they were afraid of her taking a picture if they agreed with the graffiti.
Eventually, the staff allowed her to enter the restroom, where she recorded the anti-Semitic messages on her phone.
In the background of the video, one of the workers can be heard saying, “History didn’t start in 1948, lady,” referring to the establishment of the State of Israel.
The Jewish woman then left the restroom as staff members yelled “Free Palestine” at her.
Ironically, the fired employees later claimed that their termination was a result of a “right-wing doxxing campaign” and not their behavior.
“When it became clear she would not leave until being allowed into the specific restroom with the graffiti, staff allowed her to enter. The customer did not use the restroom, but instead recorded the graffiti on her phone and then left immediately,” the workers’ statement read.
The video of the incident, which was filmed on December 3rd, has since gone viral on social media.
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