As Sydney continues to grapple with a wave of anti-Semitism and escalating communal tensions, an Egyptian street food restaurant in Newtown has become the focus of a troubling incident believed to have been a staged provocation.
The news follows a series of concerning events in recent months, with a caravan carrying enough explosives to cause a “potential mass casualty event” discovered on the outskirts of Sydney last month, along with a note listing numerous Jewish sites.
Prior to this, the city was rocked by multiple incidents of vandalism that saw a synagogue, childcare centres, and numerous residences subject to arson and offensive graffiti.
This week, Sydney restaurant Cairo Takeaway shared its own alarming incident that’s understood to have taken place shortly after opening on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident is believed to have taken place on Tuesday afternoon at the Newtown restaurant. (Source: Google Maps)
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the restaurant claimed a white male had entered the eatery the previous afternoon and ordered a hibiscus tea with no initial confrontation. However, it alleged tensions escalated when the man lingered near the counter after receiving his drink, prompting a server to ask if he needed anything else.
According to the restaurant, this casual exchange quickly took a disturbing turn when the man asked, “Do you have a problem with me because I’m Jewish?”
“The server was shocked and completely taken back,” the restaurant explained on Instagram, adding the man claimed to be feeling intimidated and unsafe.
“The server was upset and tried to disengage by walking outside. What she didn’t know was that a full camera crew from the Daily Telegraph was waiting in ambush.”
An image of the man shared by the restaurant. PTV has chosen to blur his face. (Source: Instagram)
Per Cairo Takeaway, the crew consisted of a journalist, photographer, and video producer from the publication who reportedly accompanied the man in what it suggested was a deliberate effort to stage a heated argument.
“It is very easy to infer that they had attended Cairo Takeaway along with the instigator in an attempt at manufacturing a story,” the restaurant stated.
The restaurant claimed that despite further contentious comments, its staff remained calm and requested the man leave the premises. The altercation ended when he was escorted away.
The Instagram post noted local police later attended the scene. It’s suggested police informed the staff that “no crime had been committed”.
Cairo Takeaway condemned the incident as a deliberate attempt to provoke conflict and said the man claimed to be an associate of the Australian Jewish Association.
Speaking to PEDESTRIAN.TV, the association clarified the man does not hold any official role within the organisation and is not affiliated with it.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has also reached out to both The Daily Telegraph crew and Cairo Takeaway for comment.
Heightened communal tensions fuel concern
This week, another shocking incident saw communal tensions stoked when a video surfaced on Wednesday of two Sydney nurses making disturbing comments about Israeli patients. Among other claims, one of the nurses from Bankstown Hospital said they wouldn’t treat Israeli patients, stating “I will kill them”.
The video attracted widespread political condemnation and NSW Minister for Health Mark Butler confirmed on Thursday the nurses have now been suspended.
NSW police commissioner Karen Webb also said investigators have been in talks with solicitors representing the two nurses regarding the alleged “hate crime”, per The Guardian.
The rising tide of hate and division has prompted the government to take action. This week, two bills were introduced in parliament aimed at enhancing the protection of places of worship and further criminalizing the display of Nazi symbols.
Lead image: Google Maps / Instagram
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