A shopkeeper who abused two Israeli backpackers in what critics slammed as a ‘venomous and shameful outburst’ has defended her anti-Semitic spray.
She broke her silence after video of the heated exchange with the young tourists outside her store in Townsville in North Queensland went viral.
The backpackers, aged in their early 20s, were reportedly browsing in the store on Saturday night when they spotted a donation sign for relief in Palestine near the front counter.
They approached the shopkeeper and suggested that she consider verifying where the donations were being directed, sparking an anti-Semitic rant from the woman.
Two days on, the shopkeeper claimed that she was unaware of the widespread circulation of the footage but didn’t care about the online backlash.
She doubled down after watching the clip, adding that there was more to the story than the 11 seconds that was posted online.
‘People can take their own thing away from that video, I don’t really give a s**t,’ she told the Townsville Bulletin on Monday.
The shopkeeper accused the tourists of ‘having a go’ at her over the donation box.
A Townsville shopkeeper’s anti-Semitic rant at two Israeli backpackers has been condemned by Jewish advocates as a ‘venomous and shameful outburst’
‘The guy’s from Israel and he sees this [box] and he starts just running his mouth. So, I say get the f**k out of the shop,’ she said.
‘I went outside and I also said to him, I don’t know if you can hear it, but I said my boss is an Arab.’
She added that the rest of confrontation ‘wouldn’t be a good look’ for the tourists had it been posted.
The woman said she’d had previous run-ins with tourists who ‘made a big deal’ about the donation jar.
Those confrontations, and the nature of the Townsville CBD, are what led to her keeping a shovel by her register.
She allegedly told the backpackers, ‘Get the f**k out of my store’.
The short clip shared online then showed the woman, dressed in black, then yelling at the tourists on the street while holding a shovel.
‘I don’t give a f**k about Israel but I do care about the fact that you’re a dirty filthy f**king Jew,’ the woman yelled as one of the backpackers filmed.
Footage showed one of the Israeli backpackers, who wasn’t filming, confronted the shopkeeper about her comments while remaining calm and composed.
‘You wanna listen to what I have to say?’ the other tourist, dressed in a brown shirt and pants, asked.
‘No. F**k off,’ the shopkeeper fired back.
‘I said check what you say,’ the tourist calmly continued.
The woman then told the backpackers to ‘f*** off’ twice more.
Footage of the heated confrontation showed the shopkeeper brandishing a shovel while shouting obscenities at the tourists
Daily Mail Australia has chosen to not identify the store involved.
The Australian Jewish Association condemned the incident while taking a brutal swipe at the Albanese government in the wake of recent anti-Semitic attacks across the nation.
‘The wave of anti-Jewish hate continues to surge across Australia. ‘Free Palestine’ have brought ugly division to this country,’ the association captioned the footage online.
‘Many of the government’s actions have contributed to the surge of anti-Jewish hatred.
‘Incidents like this are happening every single day across Australia.’
One of the Israeli backpackers (left) challenged the shopkeeper about her language
The Anti-Defamation Commission also condemned the ‘raw, unfiltered anti-Semitism’.
Chairman, Dr Dvir Abramovich went as far as to label the incident a ‘national crisis’.
‘This horrifying episode sends a brutal message to Jewish Australians and international visitors alike: that they are not safe in our country. What does it say about us when backpackers, far from home, must fear for their lives because of their identity?’ he told news.com.au.
Dr Abramovich added the confrontation would not only have left the tourists feeling ‘fear and humiliation’ but suggested a wider attitude across Australia.
He also called on authorities to treat the incident seriously.
‘This incident is not an isolated flash of hatred. It is part of a much larger, deeply disturbing trend. Anti-Semitism is creeping into the everyday fabric of our society, eroding the very principles we claim to hold dear,’ Dr Abramovich added.
‘Australia is at a crossroads. Will we let this cancer of hatred define who we are, or will we rise up and reclaim our values of decency, safety, and inclusion?’
The latest incident comes after a car was torched and buildings were vandalised with shocking anti-Israel slurs across Woollahra in Sydney’s eastern suburbs early Thursday morning.
Cars were vandalised with the words ‘f**k Israel’, while at least three premises, including a restaurant were also targeted.
Hours later, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee branded the wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney’s east as attacks on his family in a powerful address at a Jewish House Gala Dinner.
In a passionate speech, he said that any attack on the Jewish community is an ‘attack upon my wife and my children’.
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