Israeli-owned eatery in London hit with ‘free Palestine’ graffiti
Owner Michael Levi said that there was nothing Jewish about the cafe’s facade when it was vandalized.
The words “free Palestine” were spray-painted on the facade of a cafe owned by an Israeli in London, May 14, 2022. (Michael Levi)
(JTA) — Unidentified individuals spray-painted the words “free Palestine” on the facade of an Israeli-owned cafe in London.
The incident, which the owner Michael Levi suspects was an antisemitic hate crime, occurred on May 14 at Michaels Brasserie, the Jewish News of London reported on Tuesday.
The graffiti was painted there late at night on a Saturday, the report said.
Police arrived at the café and documented the incident and are looking into it, Levi told the Jewish News. Levi said that there was nothing Jewish about the cafe’s facade when it was vandalized.
”I can’t really get angry with people who choose this path. I just feel ashamed and hurt, and upset. We are just try to live our lives doing the best we can .. and then this,” he told the newspaper.
The café serves Middle Eastern foods popular in Israel and in Arab countries, including shakshuka, shawarma and smoked eggplant.
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
