Oakland cafe apologizes after woman harassed with anti-Israel remarks, blocked from restroom

OAKLAND – An Oakland coffee shop is apologizing for an incident after hate-speech graffiti was found in a restroom and how staffers handled a customer who tried to document it.

Last week, a woman recorded employees of Farley’s East coffee shop blocking her access to the bathroom, while making anti-Israel comments.

In a clip of the video, one employee is heard saying to the woman, “this is private property” and is asking her to leave.

“I want to go into the restroom,” the woman says.

Another employee said, “I know Israel loves taking private property and saying it’s their own…”

“You’re not going to let me into the restroom?” the woman responds.

Eventually the woman is let in, and she records images — including the message “Zionism is fascism” written below a bathroom mirror.

The staffers also appear to dismiss the woman’s concerns and say, “Free Palestine” as she leaves.

CBS News Bay Area has not be able to confirm the woman’s identity. Other news outlets have reported that she is Jewish.

Farley’s East acknowledged what happened and released a statement, which read in part, “we apologize for this error and the distress caused to this customer. We’ve taken corrective measures withour staff and removed the offensive graffiti. We’re not anti-Semitic; we value diversity and inclusivity. We’re committed to ongoing staff training for a safe and welcoming environment.”