Last week, staff at a San Francisco Bay Area café prevented a Jewish woman from entering a restroom, shouting anti-Israel slogans at her.
Now, Farley's East Cafe, the site of the incident, responds for the first time and announces that it has fired the employees who prevented the Jewish woman from entering the bathroom.
"Because this act was inconsistent with our values, the employees involved in the incident are no longer employed by Perley's," the statement read.
"Although all employees are entitled to present their views, they are not entitled to express themselves at work in ways that are disrespectful and offensive. There is no place in our business or community for speech or behavior that harms a person because of ethnicity, nationality, skin color, sexual orientation or gender identity.
"As human beings, our hearts ache for every single person who has been affected by the pain and suffering in the Middle East since the disturbing events that began on October 7. Nothing we say can comprehend the pain that Hamas has caused innocent civilians. In these difficult times, we need to bring us closer and not create division and provoke anxiety and fear," a US production house said.
"When Farley's opened 35 years ago, we envisioned so much more than just a coffee shop. We wanted to create a "third space" where coffee and food would provide a livelihood and create a safe space where everyone feels welcome. That incident caused us to fail to fulfill this vision. What began as a civil dialogue between our team and a Jewish client deteriorated into a shocking and unacceptable situation. Events like these strike fear in the Jewish community and commemorate the rise of anti-Semitism in our community and around the world. We will not tolerate any behavior that makes people feel unwanted and unsafe."
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