A group of Jewish Londoners have said they were thrown out of a Greek taverna after a row with a Gaza–supporting restaurateur.
Jude Lobb, 48, was enjoying her meal with her husband Andrew and two teenage daughters alongside two other families at the Taverna Axiotissa in Naxos before a furious row with the owner errupted.
One of the children in the group of 13 is understood to have gone to the toilet only to find the interior was plastered with a sign that read “Boycott Israeli apartheid”.
A waitress reportedly came over and said one of Ms Lobb’s party had tried to remove a poster or sticker before the owner stormed in and told them to “get the f***k out”.
Ms Lobb, who works in public affairs, told the Daily Mail: “He shouted so loudly that other diners could hear, ‘They are Zionists!’
“As we left, we were jeered at by other people in the restaurant. The most awful thing about it was that they were clapping and jeering at us to go… I couldn't believe what was happening.”
Nicola Gee, 50, who was part of the same group, added: '"It was that public humiliation which was the most shocking thing. It was like we had yellow stars from the Holocaust imprinted on us.”
The owner then allegedly followed the group out to the car park, along with several diners, shouting at them that they were “killing f***ing babies” and “supporting this genocide” amid Israel’s war with Hamas.
It was like we had yellow stars from the Holocaust imprinted on us
Moreover, the families were unable to leave the premises until they paid the bill for their food.
Ms Gee said: “We did think about calling the police, but then we were worried that they would be on their side. We just wanted to get out of there and leave.
“I was worried for our safety because there was so much shouting and screaming, and I didn't know whether it would escalate even further”
She added: “One of my daughters was really upset and she tried to speak to the owner about the hostages… She tried to ask him if he knew what a Zionist was and, again, he didn't seem to know.
“They didn't care about any facts. When I asked them why this war was the only war they cared about, he couldn't answer why.
“We spend our whole lives learning about the history of antisemitism but to have something like this happen was just awful.”
However, the owner, Giannis Vassilas, insists that the restaurant had done nothing wrong, saying: “Everything was fine until someone from the group decided to tear apart a small sticker that read, ‘Boycott Israel apartheid’.
“That waitress who saw it told this person that he has no right to do it since it is private property.
“One of the women from the group reacted quite intensely to our political public opinion about the genocidal practices and policies of the Israeli government.
“She started yelling and shouting and accused us of being racist against Jews in general and that food is terrible.
“We called her Zionist supporter of war crimes and also added that we are in support of the thousands of Israeli people who demonstrate almost every day against the fascist Israeli government's policies and the hundreds of thousands of Jews all over the world who condemn these atrocities.
“Just to clarify, in our 26 years of operation, we have often made public statements in the restaurant on local issues.
“We frequently have been targeted for this but we strongly believe it is our right to do so. If one does not like this, they are free not to come or criticise us in a polite manner.
“But when someone is aggressive and disrespectful to us and other employees and other customers – who applauded their departure — I think we have every right and reason to ask them to leave.”
According to Palestinian health officials, more than 60,000 people have been killed since Israel’s military campaign against Hamas commenced following the October 7, 2023 massacre, which killed 1,200 Israelis.
