Cafe Dzajko: Anti-vaxxer roars abuse at coffee shop

An anti-vaxxer has filmed the moment he roared abuse at a cafe worker who was following the law in requiring proof of vaccination before service.  

The man posted the video of him launching into a furious spray at a bewildered barista after being infuriated at the new health regulations that are part of NSW reopening after lockdown. 

The man’s rant ends with him bizarrely screaming ‘I’m very powerful and I will come back’.

As his video starts, the man addresses viewers, saying ‘Guys, if you think this is a joke, I’m here in Tempe, NSW and they’re saying you need to show your proof of vaccination to enter. Just to buy a cup of coffee. You’ve gotta be kidding me.’

He then walks into Cafe Dzajko and interrupts the barista, Andrassa Kest, serving a customer – both of whom are properly masked – shouting ‘Excuse me, what makes you think that I’m going to hand over my medical, private information of whether I’m vaccinated or not vaccinated to buy a cup of coffee?’

The angry anti-vaxxer, who uses a made up name on his Instagram page, then says ‘Do you see how insanely hypocritical that sounds? That you are actually going to be walking implicitly into segregation.’ 

The man suggests the business owner will suffer consequences for daring to obey the laws of New South Wales. ‘Do you realise how dangerous that territory is as a business owner, madam? ‘Cos I do. I’m a business owner and I’m opening up for all!’ 

Around 75 per cent of people in NSW are fully vaccinated against Covid-19

Buying a coffee while wearing a mask and obeying health regulations is really not that hard

With Ms Kest trying to ignore him and the customer looking at the anti-vaxxer in seeming disbelief, the man gets further frustrated and shouts out ‘Do you have anything to say to that? ‘Cos I know I’m protected, under this discrimination and this putrid attempt to segregate, OK.’ 

The woman behind the counter is finally pushed to respond. What she says is unclear, but it was possibly a suggestion that he try somewhere else for his coffee.

‘Oh, no, no. They’re asking for vaccination passports as well,’ the man replies.

Things then get even weirder, as the man adds a wild and false conspiracy to his anti-vaxx rantings. ‘I’m just wondering if you work for the government, because the government would imply this… it’s not actually your privilege or power to ask for my private information,’ he says. 

As a parting shot, he threatens Ms Kest with ‘You can dismiss it all you like, but I’m very powerful and I will come back.’

He then starts to mutter that his treatment amounted to ‘Absolutely shameful discrimination against an unvaccinated healthy person. Unbelievable.’   

‘This is a new businesss, we try hard… but it’s very hard as we don’t have much support,’ Ms Kest told ABC.

‘I am frustrated because I just try hard to follow the rules of the government.’

Cafe Dzajko in the Sydney suburb of Tempe was subjected to a tirade of abuse from an anti-vaxxer

The man then continues with his persecution complex in a rant to go with his video, saying it was about ‘the principle of me not being welcome for what I choose or not choose to inject into my body that got me infuriated today!’ 

He then seems to be referring to the United Nations (a favourite target for conspiracy theorists) when he repeatedly writes the word ‘UNvaccinated’, who he says ‘are being guilt tripped and segregated … hunted by ambulance services, fellow workers and police men’.    

He ends with a misspelt swipe at the new NSW premier. ‘Dominic Perrotet (sic) you are not my premier & your actions prove that you are not a Christian! Hope your (sic) happy!’

There are a handful of supporting comments beside his video, with one using the name elifasan saying ‘Disgraceful in 2021 who thought this is where we would be.’ 

Cafe Dzajko was just following the law, as the signs on its door make plain

Cafe Dzajko owner Sally Dzajko did not witness the encounter with the anti-vaxxer, but told Daily Mail Australia she was appalled at what happened.

‘It is dreadful. I don’t know why people have to be so mean. It’s a shame, it’s just heartbreaking.’

She and her husband Dimce just opened the business six months ago as their travel business was a victim of the Covid-19 pandemic. ‘That was going nowhere, so we opened up the cafe,’ she said. 

‘Why are we being abused when we’re just trying to make a living?’ 

Cafe Dzajko owner Sally Dzajko was appalled at the behaviour of the anti-vaxxer

The cafe’s Facebook page was full of supportive messages. Anita Taylor posted that it was ‘Great to see you stand up for OHS for staff and customers. Keep up the great service.’

Divna Damceska posted ‘don’t let anyone else bad mouth you’ and many others said they will go to Cafe Dzajko the next time they are in Sydney. 

One man tweeted that he had walked four kilometres to support the cafe. When he got there his coffee was free because someone else had just shouted the next ten customers. 

Inner West Councillor Darcy Byrne said on twitter that he had visited for lunch and urged others to do the same.