Three employees at a California coffee shop, who were caught on camera blocking a Jewish woman from using the bathroom while making anti-Israel comments, have been fired. Staff at Farley's East in Oakland blocked the woman as she tried to enter the bathroom to take a photo of the writings that said "Zionism = Fascism" and "your neutrality is enabling genocide."
She was verbally attacked by staff who insisted she leave the "private property," with one of the three employees saying, "I know Israel loves taking private property and saying it's their own, but we gotta head." As a result, the employees have now been thrown out of their jobs.
Punished for Anti-Israel Comments
Amy and Chris Hillyard, the owners of Farley's East in Oakland, announced on social media Sunday that the employees seen in the video berating the customer had engaged in "shocking and unacceptable" behavior. As a result, these employees are no longer employed at the establishment.
"We do not tolerate any behavior at Farley's that makes people feel unwelcome or unsafe. Because this act was not aligned with our values, the employees involved in the incident are no longer employed by Farley's," the Hillyard's posted on the shop's social media.
"Events like these strike fear in the Jewish community and perpetuate the rise of anti-Semitism in our community and around the world."
"We can and must do better — and this starts with us creating a safe space for anyone who patronizes our coffeehouse."
The video, recorded by the customer, shows three employees physically obstructing the woman, using their bodies to block her from accessing the coffee shop's restroom.
One staff member in a yellow beanie told her: "It is private property, I do need you to leave." She is soon joined by her colleague who then says: "I know Israel loves taking private property and saying it's their own, but we gotta head."
The woman responds in disbelief: "You are not going to let me in the restroom?"
No Room for Anti-Semitism
The customer, claiming her status as a "patron" at the shop and had "right" to use the bathroom, encounters resistance from the male employee who insists they "have a right to refuse service."
Amid the exchange with Farley's employees, a woman from a neighboring business intervenes, offering the customer to use their bathroom.
Despite one of the coffee shop employees suggesting she use the "other restroom" in the café, the customer insists on using the one with the graffiti.
The worker in the yellow hat then asks the woman to leave, accusing her of mis-gendering a colleague.
The argument continues, with the woman, referencing the graffiti inside, questioning, "Why are you afraid that I will take a picture of it if you agree with it?"
The staff eventually relents and permits the patron to use the bathroom. However, as she enters to film the bathroom, the male employee makes a rude remark, stating, "History didn't start in 1948, lady," seemingly alluding to the year of Israel's establishment.
"Free Palestine. Now please go," one of the staffers added, while the male employee repeated the phrase, saying, "It's always... great, we LOVE it."
The video, posted on Tuesday by StopAntisemitism, garnered over 2.6 million views. Prior to the termination of the three employees, Farley's issued an apology on Thursday in response to widespread outrage stemming from the viral video.
"The staff handled the situation poorly and we apologize for this error and the distress caused to the customer. We've taken corrective measures with our staff and removed the offensive graffiti," the coffee shop said in their initial apology.
"We're committed to ongoing staff training for a safe and welcoming environment. Thank you for understanding that we are a small business doing our best to operate a community business in a difficult environment."
