Tensions around the Israel-Hamas war spilled into an Oakland coffee shop this week after three staff members were filmed blocking a customer from entering a bathroom with anti-Israel graffiti.
“This is private property, and I need you to leave,” said one staff member at Oakland’s Farley’s East cafe, who is filmed repeatedly telling the customer she cannot enter the facilities.
“I know Israel loves taking private property and saying it’s their own, but…” added another.
Eventually, the staff members let the woman enter the restroom. She films what she finds: Zionism = Fascism scrawled beneath the mirror, and a message that seems to read your neutrality is enabling genocide across the wall.
As the woman films, the employees shrug, smile and say, “Free Palestine.”
That video was later shared on X, formerly Twitter, and amassed thousands of views across the country. Originally posted on StopAntisemitism.org, copies of the video have now spiraled across the internet, with The Jewish News of California reporting it has been viewed over five million times.
“Events like these strike fear in the Jewish community and perpetuate the rise of anti-Semitism in our community and around the world,” stated the owners of the coffeeshop, Amy and Chris Hillyard, in a statement published on social media Saturday. “We do not tolerate any behavior at Farley’s that makes people feel unwelcome or unsafe.”
“These difficult times should bring us together — not create division and stoke anxiety and fear,” they added. “We can and must do better — and this starts with creating a safe space for anyone who patronizes our coffeehouse.”
The Hillyards said the employees involved in the incident were “no longer employed at Farley’s,” though it’s unclear whether they were fired or resigned from their roles. In an earlier post published Dec. 6, Farley’s East also apologized for the incident, and said they had removed the graffiti and were “committed to ongoing staff training for a safe and welcoming environment.”
That statement was met with thousands of comments, with Facebook users blasting the employees’ actions and demanding they be fired. As of Saturday night, 6,000 people had commented on the earlier message, while 3,000 reacted with an angry face — a feature Facebook offers for users to relay emotions on a post.
“What have you done about the staff?” asked one user. “They clearly displayed the kind of attitude that was popular in the 1920s-40s Germany.”
“Shame to you all,” quipped another. “Close this place down.”
The video also caught the attention of the Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy group focused on hate speech and antisemitism.
Two weeks after the Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israeli citizens Oct. 7, the ADL had recorded 312 antisemitic incidents across the country — a 388% spike from the same period in 2022. Marc Levine, the regional director of ADL Central Pacific, called the video “sickening.”
“Jews everywhere are facing vitriol, harassment, and pure hatred simply for being Jewish and supporting Israel’s right to exist,” Levine said in a statement shared on X on December 7. “It must stop.”
