EXCLUSIVE The anti-nanny state video the entire Australian hospitality world is talking about - as new Queen of the Cross blows up at killjoys trying to destroy Sydney's nightlife AGAIN
A fed-up business owner has angrily confronted City of Sydney council officers who demanded the removal of plants from outside her restaurant, saying interfering bureaucrats had killed the city's nightlife.
Sydney restaurateur Nahji Chu argued with two council officers who turned up on a busy Friday evening at her popular Potts Point eatery Lady Chu, and instructed to move the potted palms immediately or face the consequences.
But Ms Chu said she would rather 'go to jail' than comply with their orders, saying their demands were excessive as there was no impediment to the public footpath.
In an explosive showdown, filmed by a staff member, Ms Chu didn't hold back telling one officer: 'This is 'f***ed up, this whole city is f***ked up.'
'They wouldn't leave that's why I went nuts,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Drop a bomb at 7pm and then expect me to remain calm?
'There is no fun in this city, you can't do anything or you face a fine.
'No one even leaves their house any more - they just work to make money and go and spend it overseas where they can get culture and have a good time.'
The footpath area serves as an al fresco option for Ms Chu's customers from Wednesday to Sunday until 9.30pm.
She applied to the City of Sydney council to expand and revamp the area with umbrellas at the tables and plants to bring some atmosphere to the drab city street.
According to Ms Chu that's where her problems began, as the council would only approve one or the other because public access to the footpath also needed to be maintained.
'I said no, it's both. This section doesn't work without the umbrellas because the council lights are so bright. The plants create mood and ambience, and they create a barrier from the cars,' Chu said.
When the uniformed officers turned up at dinner time at the busy restaurant to enforce the rule Chu was visibly furious.
'You want me to remove the plants,' she asks in the video as she pans the camera down the street. 'They want me to remove these plants. This is fu**ked up, this city is fu**ked up. People can still get through.
'Please remove these plants or you will go to jail, really? I'd rather go to jail than remove those plants. So send me to jail. Give me the fine.
'I'm the one standing up for this city, give me the fucking fine I will see you in court.
'I am mtrying to activate a dead city and you are trying to fucking shut it down.'
Ms Chu pans her video to the walkway in between her restaurant and tables asking, 'Whats the f**king problem here, you can get through, what seems to be the problem officer?
'Beautiful trees? Beautiful umbrellas? Three people can get through?
'Right now give me the f**king fine and I will see you in court with my lawyer.'
Many businesses in the Kings Cross and Potts Point area were forced to shut up shop in 2013 after controversial lockout laws were introduced to stop street violence, but reduced footfall in the area by 70 percent.
For years its streets were dotted with empty shopfronts, and draconian Covid lockdowns exacerbated the problem.
Chu opened her Vietnamese street food restaurant in 2021 hoping to join others in regenerating the moribund area and trying to resurrect the city's tepid nightlife.
A spokesperson for the City of Sydney said that they attended the restaurant acting on a complaint.
'On Friday evening, staff received a complaint about impeded pedestrian access on Roslyn Street and visited the site to investigate,' the spokesperson said.
'Staff advised the business which items were placed outside its approved areas and respectfully asked they be removed as soon as possible, with no expectation dinner service would be interrupted to resolve the issue.
'Despite this respectful approach, the City staff received a torrent of abuse.
'We commend our staff for remaining calm and professional throughout the process and we request the community act respectfully when interacting with all City of Sydney staff.'
The spokesperson further explained that they had been in negotiations with Ms Chu for two months and has approved two outdoor dining spaces for her use free of charge.
However, since then the council claims to have received 'ongoing complaints' about the additional furniture.
'The City of Sydney has had several meetings with the business owner to explain the issues and encourage it to remain in its already extensive free outdoor dining area,' they said.
'These proactive attempts to resolve the issue took place outside restaurant rush periods.
'We will continue to work with this business to ensure it can enjoy the free use of city footpaths while understanding its obligation to maintain sufficient space for others, including those pushing prams or for wheelchairs.'
However, Ms Chu claims standing up to the council had worked as she has not heard from anyone since.
'The other restaurants are telling me, 'you go girl,' she said. 'Its a dead city and they have been picking on me since Covid. Thats why I had enough and blew up.'
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