The owner of the DC restaurant where Ted Cruz and his wife were hounded by protesters says he has hired security guards in the wake of the ‘PR disaster’.
Fabio Trabocchi, who is also head chef at Fiola, said he has shut down social media after being bombarded with death threats and threats to destroy the restaurant.
In an email to customers, Mr Trabocchi also dismissed a ‘crazy’ rumor that he tipped off protesters about Cruz’s location, which he blamed for some of the backlash.
Fabio Trabocchi, the owner and head chef of Fiola, in Washington DC, has emailed customers to reassure them and urge them to return after protesters stormed his restaurant
Mr Trabocchi also sought to dispel a ‘crazy’ rumor that he tipped activists off to Cruz’s location, saying it has led to death threats and forced him to shut down social media
He wrote: ‘We have no idea how the protesters knew to come to Fiola, but some in the media have suggested that we intentionally leaked his presence.
‘How insane to imagine we choose to host an attack in our own restaurant!
‘As crazy as that idea is, the negative effects of the repetition of this false statement is unprecedented in our careers.
‘We had to take down our social media temporarily because we received thousands of hateful comments.
‘Our reservation lines are inundated with calls from people who are taunting our staff and threatening to destroy our restaurant.
‘Maria and I have personally received death threats. We would have never thought such a thing was possible in the restaurant business.’
He adds: ‘We want to make it crystal clear that would never participate in or would condone a protest of anyone of any political stripe inside one of our restaurants.’
Mr Trabocchi says that staff at all his restaurants will be given extra training in how to handle situations like this in the future, while describing it as a symptom of ‘the divided politics in America now.’
He also urges customers to return over the coming months in order to show support to the staff ‘when they could really use it’.
It comes after Mr Trabocchi also posted a message on Twitter commending his employee’s ‘remarkable grit and calm’ in the wake of the protest, which took place a week ago.
Ted Cruz and wife Heidi were confronted by angry anti-Kavanaugh protesters as they ate at the restaurant on Monday last week
Restaurant staff managed to hide the Cruzes in the kitchen until police removed the protesters, and they were then able to return and finish their meal
Mr Trabocchi also put out a tweet in which he thanked staff for the calm actions and said that everyone was welcome at his restaurant, regardless of political affiliation
In the statement, he said: ‘Personally, I am blessed to work with the staff who have handled the harassment and life-threatening messages we and our families have received in the wake of the event.
‘They have shown remarkable grit and calm, It is scary to hear anger directed at you and those you love — I am lucky to work with brave people who respect our work.’
‘We did our best Monday night to show DC what it means to live, love and work in a city where all voices are welcome – and quite necessary – to make a republic work,’ the statement read.
‘It takes everyone, Just like any family. It requires respect, listening, and sometimes a little etiquette, like keeping your elbows and politics off the dinner table.’
Trabocchi added that although he is not in the ‘business of hospitality or public safety’ he has since implemented safety measures since the incident.
They were made up of activists from Smash Racism DC and a handful of other left wing organizations and ambushed Cruz and his wife at the Italian restaurant near the White House.
They proudly shared videos of their stunt on Twitter afterwards and threatened Cruz, the president and ‘any the rest of the racist, sexist, transphobic, and homophobic right-wing scum’ by saying ominously: ‘You are not safe. We will find you.
‘We will expose you. We will take from you the peace you have taken from so many others.’
At the start of two videos uploaded by Smash Racism DC on Monday after the stunt, Cruz and his wife are seen making their way to their table as the protesters chanted: ‘We believe survivors! We believe survivors!’
One of the protesters held his middle finger up in Cruz’s face while others screamed at him as he tried to leave
The couple was let out a side door by one of the smartly dressed waiters. The door was closed on the protesters afterwards. They marched out through the front, continuing to shout as they left
The harassing began as Cruz and his wife Heidi (pictured) made their way to their table. Heidi stared back at the protesters incredulously then took her seat without answering them
Afterwards, Smash Racism DM, a group of activists which formed last year, posted a thread taking responsibility for the stunt and making this threat to Cruz, the president and other Republicans
Smash Racism DC would not answer questions about how its members knew where Cruz would be on Monday night when contacted.
A spokesman said the organization was ‘gathering’ media requests and would respond at a later date.
In the clip Cruz’s wife Heidi stared at the group incredulously then made her way to her seat. The senator told one of the women: ‘God bless you ma’am,’ then took his seat next to his wife.
They were seated for only a few seconds while helpless waiters and restaurant managers tried to control the group before the couple got up to leave.
As they left, a woman in the group shouted: ‘I deserve to know your position on Brett Kavanagh Senator.’
She earlier described herself as a ‘constituent’ and taunted the Cruz’s by saying: ‘I know you’re good friends with Kavanaugh.’
Brett Kavanaugh has angrily denied claims of drugging a high school girl and taking part in a gang rape leveled at him Wednesday.
Julie Swetnick, his new accuser, released a sworn statement through her attorney Michael Avenatti saying that Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge were there as she was abused by a ‘train’ of teenage boys.
She said she was drugged ‘using Quaaludes or something similar’ which had been put in her drink – and that Kavanaugh and his friends would spike ‘punch’ at parties with grain alcohol or drugs to ’cause girls to lose inhibitions and their ability to say ‘No’.’
Kavanaugh denied the new bombshell charges. ‘This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone,’ he said in a statement released by the White House. ‘I don’t know who this is and this never happened,’ he said.
Kavanaugh went on national television on Monday to deny any inappropriate sexual behavior, telling Fox News that he ‘always treated women with dignity and respect’
Kavanaugh’s nomination has caused a wave of protest around the country, including in New York where marchers took to the streets on Monday night
Protestors march through Midtown Manhattan as they rally against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh
Kavanaugh’s nomination has been caught up in the #MeToo movement as multiple women have come forward to accuse him of inappropriate behavior and sexual assault
The testimony is a fresh blow to Kavanaugh, already accused of two sexual assaults by named women – Christine Blasey Ford, who claims Kavanaugh groped her and covered her mouth at a high school party, and Debbie Ramirez, who claims he exposed himself to her at a Yale dorm party.
Kavanaugh denies the charges by all three women – and called the latest from ‘the Twilight zone’, while Donald Trump accused Avenatti of being a ‘low-life’ who brought false accusations.
As footage of the incident spread online, the group tweeted that they had decided to ‘interrupt.’
‘No—you can’t eat in peace—your politics are an attack on all of us You’re votes are a death wish. Your votes are hate crimes.
‘Tonight Senator Ted Cruz arrived at Fiola, an upscale restaurant mere steps from the White House, to enjoy a hearty Italian dinner.
‘He could have dined on a lavish four course meal for only $145 while millions of Americans struggle to buy groceries. He might have sampled from the top shelf wine list as migrant children languish in cages.
‘He’d have laughed with his wife while women and members of the LGBTQ community collectively gasp in horror as Senator Cruz pushes forward on Bret Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination. At least he could have had activists not interrupted his evening just as he was being seated.
‘Instead, activists from Smash Racism DC, Resist This, DC IWW, members of DC Democratic Socialists of America, Anarchists, women, sexual assault survivors, and members of the LGBTQ community interrupted Ted Cruz’s peaceful meal.’
They went on to say that their interruption ‘does not compare in scale to the interruptions his actions as a Senator have had on millions of American lives.’
‘We hope that it reminds Cruz and others like him that they are not safe from the people they have hurt.
‘This is a message to Ted Cruz, Bret Kavanaugh, Donald Trump and the rest of the racist, sexist, transphobic, and homophobic right-wing scum: You are not safe. We will find you. We will expose you.
‘We will take from you the peace you have taken from so many others.
‘Sincerely, Some Anti Fascist Hooligans. We demand a world free of sexual violence, and state violence. We want a world without prisons, borders, or capitalism,’ they said.
They signed off by posting the phone number of right-wing activist Gavin McInnes.
Smash Racism is part of a coalition of ‘anti-fascist’ groups known as Shut It Down DC.