The prominent Sydney restaurateur Alan Yazbek has pleaded guilty to displaying a Nazi swastika at a pro-Palestine rally.
Yazbek appeared at Downing Centre local court on Thursday where his lawyer said he was pleading guilty to the charge.
The court heard the 56-year-old’s case had attracted “significant media attention”. Yazbek co-owned the Nomad Group at the time of the rally this month.
His barrister Phillip English tendered a large file to the magistrate Mark Whelan who set a sentencing hearing date of 10 December.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a fine of $11,000 for individuals.
Outside the Downing Centre, Yazbek told reporters that he would not comment on the matter while it was before the court. “Respectfully, no comment,” he said.
Yazbek was arrested at the Sydney rally on 6 October. He was photographed holding a sign mimicking the Israeli flag with its Star of David replaced with a swastika and the words “Stop Nazi Israel”.
He was charged with displaying a Nazi symbol “without excuse” and was granted bail. New South Wales banned the public display of Nazi symbols in 2022.
Yazbek co-owned Nomad with his wife and business partner, Rebecca Yazbek. They opened the Surry Hills Nomad restaurant in 2013, followed by three other venues in Melbourne and Sydney.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Rebecca Yazbek said her husband was no longer part of the group’s management.
“We deeply regret the impact his actions have had on the community, and for that, we sincerely apologise,” she wrote.
“As both his wife and business partner, I was furious with his actions and heartbroken by the harm they caused.”
Yazbek apologised “unreservedly” after being charged.
“I apologise unequivocally for my actions at the demonstration on Sunday where I carried a sign that is deeply offensive to the Jewish community,” he said in a statement at the time.
“You can be sure that I will do all I can to regain the trust of my wonderful staff, our loyal customers, and the broader community.
“Friends and acquaintances who know me – both Jewish and gentile – know that I am not an antisemite, and they also know how passionate I am about supporting diversity and equality in both my personal life and within the Nomad Group of businesses.
“Like a great many, I am traumatised daily by the ongoing bloodshed in the Middle East – within Israel, in Palestine and now in Lebanon. We must make it stop. Again, I apologise unreservedly.”
