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The Guardian
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Sydney restaurant faces human rights complaint after temporarily denying entry to people wearing keffiyehs
The Racial Justice Centre is preparing to file a group complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission after a Sydney restaurant denied dine-in service to people wearing Palestinian keffiyehs during a 20-minute period last weekend. The legal centre will file the complaint to Australia's national anti-discrimination body on behalf of six Palestinian complainants, regarding an incident that took place on 3 August at Merivale-owned Jimmy's Falafel in the Sydney CBD after the Sydney Harbour Bridge march, first reported by the Sydney Morning Herald. Guardian Australia has spoken to four people, not part of the complaint, who report being told they would be barred from eating inside at Jimmy's Falafel unless they removed their keffiyehs. A man who wishes to be identified as Amir – not his real name – travelled from Queensland to Sydney to attend the pro-Palestine protest. Afterwards, Amir and his friend Hasan, who were both wearing Palestinian keffiyehs, went searching for food and stumbled across Jimmy's Falafel on George Street. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Amir said while they were asking a restaurant employee if a table was vacant, a security guard approached the pair and said their scarves could not be worn inside the venue and had to be removed if they wanted to dine in. The security guard said the directive came from the restaurant manager, Amir said. 'We were quite shocked that this is happening to us, right in the centre of Sydney,' he said. Amir, who said he saw other people also being turned away due to wearing keffiyehs, said the pair calmly left the venue. Keffiyehs, traditional scarves worn across the Middle East, are often worn by people expressing support for Palestine. A Merivale spokesperson said in a written statement that Jimmy's Falafel was patronised by many who participated in the Harbour Bridge protest march on 3 August, including 'many, many people wearing keffiyehs and hijabs'. The statement said that a management decision was made at about 3.55pm 'that people carrying large flags and placards should not carry or display them within the Jimmy's Falafel venue', after instances of members of the public 'yelling obscenities and violent rhetoric' at Merivale venues on George Street, including comments such as 'death to the IDF', 'death to all Zionist pigs' and 'f***ing Zionist pigs and scum'. 'Jimmy's staff understood that decision as providing that persons wearing political garb and/or carrying flags and placards should be kindly asked to remove those items (place them in their bags) before entering,' the spokesperson said. 'This meant that for the period 3.55pm to 4.15pm, people wearing political items of clothing were politely asked to remove those items and place them in their bags before entering.' Merivale CCTV footage, viewed by Guardian Australia, shows that during that 20-minute window, some patrons wearing keffiyehs left the venue or were turned away, while others removed them before entering or ordering takeaway. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform. Finally, our guide at lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. The footage shows other diners wearing keffiyehs inside the venue during that period, as well as at other points during the day. On the footage, which did not include audio, just before the start of the 20-minute period, protesters appear to yell into the venue. 'To be clear, at no time was anyone refused entry or discriminated against due to their political or religious affiliations. As you can imagine, it was a day of thousands of people attending the city. It was a challenging time for venue staff, and we of course have an obligation to their safety and comfort. Merivale is politically neutral and has no interest whatsoever in disabusing any patron of their religious or political views,' the spokesperson said. 'No Merivale venues including Jimmy's Falafel have policies on customers wearing keffiyehs or other scarves.' Sharfah Mohamed, a lawyer at the Racial Justice Centre, said: 'Our position is that Merivale's conduct breaches the federal Racial Discrimination Act.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion In a written statement, Mohamed said that security personnel 'in all types of venues are required to respond to threats to safety on a case-by-case basis based on actual conduct'. 'As to neutrality, there is nothing neutral about banning the cultural garment of a specific racial or ethnic group,' Mohamed said. Hasan, who requested his last name be withheld, said the security guard did not say why they were not allowed to wear the keffiyehs inside the venue. 'We were humiliated. I felt humiliated,' he said. Hasan, who is Lebanese, said the keffiyeh resonates with Palestinians and is a symbol of 'hope and freedom'. 'We just wanted to become one with the Palestinian people and show solidarity with them,' he said. Amir said he now fears wearing a keffiyeh in public or expressing his opinion about the conflict in the Middle East. 'I feel quite shocked, traumatised and humiliated,' he said. Qamar Albashir said he was wearing a Moroccan scarf when his group of six people approached Jimmy's Falafel . He said the security guard told the group, which included three people wearing keffiyehs, they could not enter the venue wearing the scarves and would have to remove them to go inside. 'We were kind of dumbfounded. When [they] said we couldn't go in we ask why not, and the security guard said it was a private establishment. We were lost for words.' 'It felt really horrible. We felt further anguished because our kids were there with us.' A fourth man, who requested anonymity, said he was also denied entry to Jimmy's Falafel on the afternoon of the march while wearing a Jordanian keffiyeh. 'We were told by the security guard that we wouldn't be allowed in because we were wearing scarves,' he said. 'We were in shock at first.' The man said he was accompanied by his wife, who was wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, and his friend, who was not wearing a scarf. He said the group observed two other groups, where some members were wearing Palestinian keffiyehs, who were denied entry on the same basis. The man said his friend ordered takeaway food from the venue from the street for the group.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Sydney restaurant faces human rights complaint after temporarily denying entry to people wearing keffiyehs
The Racial Justice Centre is preparing to file a group complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission after a Sydney restaurant denied dine-in service to people wearing Palestinian keffiyehs during a 20-minute period last weekend. The legal centre will file the complaint to Australia's national anti-discrimination body on behalf of six Palestinian complainants, regarding an incident that took place on 3 August at Merivale-owned Jimmy's Falafel in the Sydney CBD after the Sydney Harbour Bridge march, first reported by the Sydney Morning Herald. Guardian Australia has spoken to four people, not part of the complaint, who report being told they would be barred from eating inside at Jimmy's Falafel unless they removed their keffiyehs. A man who wishes to be identified as Amir – not his real name – travelled from Queensland to Sydney to attend the pro-Palestine protest. Afterwards, Amir and his friend Hasan, who were both wearing Palestinian keffiyehs, went searching for food and stumbled across Jimmy's Falafel on George Street. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Amir said while they were asking a restaurant employee if a table was vacant, a security guard approached the pair and said their scarves could not be worn inside the venue and had to be removed if they wanted to dine in. The security guard said the directive came from the restaurant manager, Amir said. 'We were quite shocked that this is happening to us, right in the centre of Sydney,' he said. Amir, who said he saw other people also being turned away due to wearing keffiyehs, said the pair calmly left the venue. Keffiyehs, traditional scarves worn across the Middle East, are often worn by people expressing support for Palestine. A Merivale spokesperson said in a written statement that Jimmy's Falafel was patronised by many who participated in the Harbour Bridge protest march on 3 August, including 'many, many people wearing keffiyehs and hijabs'. The statement said that a management decision was made at about 3.55pm 'that people carrying large flags and placards should not carry or display them within the Jimmy's Falafel venue', after instances of members of the public 'yelling obscenities and violent rhetoric' at Merivale venues on George Street, including comments such as 'death to the IDF', 'death to all Zionist pigs' and 'f***ing Zionist pigs and scum'. 'Jimmy's staff understood that decision as providing that persons wearing political garb and/or carrying flags and placards should be kindly asked to remove those items (place them in their bags) before entering,' the spokesperson said. 'This meant that for the period 3.55pm to 4.15pm, people wearing political items of clothing were politely asked to remove those items and place them in their bags before entering.' Merivale CCTV footage, viewed by Guardian Australia, shows that during that 20-minute window, some patrons wearing keffiyehs left the venue or were turned away, while others removed them before entering or ordering takeaway. The footage shows other diners wearing keffiyehs inside the venue during that period, as well as at other points during the day. On the footage, which did not include audio, just before the start of the 20-minute period, protesters appear to yell into the venue. 'To be clear, at no time was anyone refused entry or discriminated against due to their political or religious affiliations. As you can imagine, it was a day of thousands of people attending the city. It was a challenging time for venue staff, and we of course have an obligation to their safety and comfort. Merivale is politically neutral and has no interest whatsoever in disabusing any patron of their religious or political views,' the spokesperson said. 'No Merivale venues including Jimmy's Falafel have policies on customers wearing keffiyehs or other scarves.' Sharfah Mohamed, a lawyer at the Racial Justice Centre, said: 'Our position is that Merivale's conduct breaches the federal Racial Discrimination Act. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion In a written statement, Mohamed said that security personnel 'in all types of venues are required to respond to threats to safety on a case-by-case basis based on actual conduct'. 'As to neutrality, there is nothing neutral about banning the cultural garment of a specific racial or ethnic group,' Mohamed said. Hasan, who requested his last name be withheld, said the security guard did not say why they were not allowed to wear the keffiyehs inside the venue. 'We were humiliated. I felt humiliated,' he said. Hasan, who is Lebanese, said the keffiyeh resonates with Palestinians and is a symbol of 'hope and freedom'. 'We just wanted to become one with the Palestinian people and show solidarity with them,' he said. Amir said he now fears wearing a keffiyeh in public or expressing his opinion about the conflict in the Middle East. 'I feel quite shocked, traumatised and humiliated,' he said. Qamar Albashir said he was wearing a Moroccan scarf when his group of six people approached Jimmy's Falafel . He said the security guard told the group, which included three people wearing keffiyehs, they could not enter the venue wearing the scarves and would have to remove them to go inside. 'We were kind of dumbfounded. When [they] said we couldn't go in we ask why not, and the security guard said it was a private establishment. We were lost for words.' 'It felt really horrible. We felt further anguished because our kids were there with us.' A fourth man, who requested anonymity, said he was also denied entry to Jimmy's Falafel on the afternoon of the march while wearing a Jordanian keffiyeh. 'We were told by the security guard that we wouldn't be allowed in because we were wearing scarves,' he said. 'We were in shock at first.' The man said he was accompanied by his wife, who was wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, and his friend, who was not wearing a scarf. He said the group observed two other groups, where some members were wearing Palestinian keffiyehs, who were denied entry on the same basis. The man said his friend ordered takeaway food from the venue from the street for the group.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Justin Hemmes' hospitality empire under fire after his venue is accused of turning away diners because of their outfits - as bosses hit back
Hospitality group Merivale has fired back over allegations one of its restaurants refused to serve people wearing pro-Palestinian scarves after the recent Sydney Harbour Bridge protest. Seven people told the Sydney Morning Herald they weren't allowed in to Jimmy's Falafel on George Street on August 3 unless they took off their keffiyehs - the Middle Eastern headscarf that has become a symbol of the pro-Palestinian movement. Jimmy's Falafel is just one of more than 90 venues operated by Merivale, which is owned by billionaire Justin Hemmes. A Merivale spokesman said management banned anyone carrying or displaying flags and placards inside the venue between 3.55pm and 4.15pm on the day of the protest for the safety of staff. They claimed the decision was made following 'many instances of rogue members of the public passing Ivy venues on George Street and shouting obscenities and violent rhetoric inside'. According to Merivale, some protesters who walked by had shouted 'death to the IDF', 'death to all Zionist pigs', and 'f***ing Zionist pigs and scum' towards Jimmy's Falafel. CCTV from the venue, that does not have audio, showed multiple groups of people were turned away from Jimmy's Falafel during the 20-minute ban. Farah Ghafar was one of the protesters who claims she was told to remove her keffiyeh-printed hijab. 'I felt excluded. I felt discriminated against,' she said. It is not suggested she had yelled anything towards the restaurant. 'I have never, ever in my life been refused service based on what I was wearing, or asked to remove an item of clothing in order to enter a store.' Farah, who is considering legal action against Merivale, said when she and her sister went back to ask the manager of Jimmy's Falafel why they couldn't enter, they got an apology and were allegedly told security shouldn't have refused them entry. They claimed they were told the request to remove the keffiyeh was to maintain the restaurant's neutral stance and ensure the safety of employees and others inside. Another person, who asked not to be named, said he and his wife were also told they could not dine in unless they removed their scarves and claimed the guard told them they didn't know why. 'He said that he was following orders [from management] and that our scarves were not allowed in, and if we wanted to sit inside, we would have to take our scarves off,' the man claimed. The Merivale spokesman said the march was a 'challenging time for venue staff' and that it didn't want to get involved in the politics of the day, but had safety on their mind. 'The safety and comfort of staff and patrons is always a priority at our venues…aggression and discrimination are never tolerated.,' a spokeswoman said in a statement. 'No Merivale venues, including Jimmy's Falafel, have policies on customers wearing keffiyehs or other political or religious items of clothing.' Authorities believe around 90,000 people arrived at the Harbour Bridge on August 3 to protest the on-going conflict in Gaza.
