The owner of a popular Sydney restaurant has told ‘narcissistic Zionist’ Jews to stay away from his venue in an abusive post on Instagram.
Cairo Takeaway’s owner, Hesham El Masry, posted the rant at a Jewish person after they made a comment about street artist Scottie Marsh.
Marsh recently painted a mural showing the Palestinian flag on a raised and clenched fist as part of the #freePalestine movement outside the eatery, located in the busy restaurant strip of Enmore Road in Sydney’s inner-west.
In response to the comment, Mr El Masry wrote: ‘Cairo Restaurant does not want narcissistic Zionist pigs like yourself coming into our restaurant.
‘People like yourself are not welcome here and anywhere for that matter. The walls are closing in on your type. Your narrative is becoming old. F*** off!’
Cairo restaurant in Sydney’s Enmore (above) has ignited debate about the Middle east conflict with a since deleted Instagram message to a ‘Zionist’ poster. Above, the eatery’s new mural by street artist, Scottie Marsh
Hesham El Masry’s post (above) on his restaurant’s Instagram page which called one person a ‘narcissistic Zionist pig’ and said they were not welcome at Cairo has been deleted but Jewish Australians are upset and have continued to comment on his page
Cairo’s owner Hesham El Masry (above) is a passionately pro-Palestine campaigner whose restaurant Instagram page has become a forum for fiery debate on the Middle East conflict
The post also featured a photo of two Palestinian children holdings posters with the slogan ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’.
The now deleted post has been shared among Jewish people in Australia and overseas, and created both concern and anger.
Mr El Masry did not tell Daily Mail Australia the details of the comment which sparked his anger, but he defended his words, saying ‘the full context of my post and of the greater issues occurring to the children of Gaza’ needed to be considered.
He added that he found mainstream media ‘always favouring the Israeli perspective’ in respect of Palestinian and Israeli issues.
Since deleting the post, debate about the Middle East conflict – which began on October 7 when Hamas murdered Israeli festival revellers near the Gaza Strip and took others hostage – has continued to rage on the restaurant’s Instagram page.
The exchanges between passionate pro-Israeli and pro-Palestine supporters have erupted in fiery posts and impassioned political debate.
In particular, an argument over whether ‘from the river to the sea’ has a sinister sub-text about ‘wiping out’ Jewish people.
One Jewish woman was slammed after writing about the post: ‘Imagine teaching babies this kind of violence and hate and imagine condoning it. It’s abuse.’
The woman, who had an Israeli flag as her Instagram image, wrote ‘I’m a mother and I teach my children to love all people unlike Hamas’.
One person described her comments as ‘the Islamophobia coming out… please continue showing your true face, drop that peace and love act.’
Two other pro-Palestine supporters attacked the woman, one calling Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu ‘the slayer’, the other telling the woman to ‘Stfu!’ and calling her a ‘genocide supporter’ and ‘land thief’.
One then rubbished the Jewish moniker of being ‘the chosen people’ and said Israel had stolen Palestinian land and food and asked ‘Should we just all drop dead for you? Chosen people of Satan!’
The restaurant attempted to adjudicate the argument with a historical summary of the region prior to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
But the restaurant warned one pro-Israeli poster, saying ‘Stop your nonsense. Otherwise we’ll have to delete you comments’.
Mr El Masry’s restaurant (above) is in the inner western Sydney suburb of Enmore
In one tense exchange one man said, ‘I wonder what kids in Israel are taught right now? That it’s okay to commit genocide in self defence?’
Another replied. ‘They are taught to love. And human life is the most important thing. You must remember if Israel put its weapons down it would be wiped out in 24 hours.
‘If the rest of the Middle East/Hamas put their weapons down there would be immediate peace.’
One person using the forum to personally attack the restaurant wrote, ‘Now I know where NOT to eat next time I visit Enmore. Makes the choice much easier.
‘The food is second rate, anyway. Much better Middle Eastern food elsewhere TBH’.
A poster mocked the restaurant’s analysis of the current situation, asking if it realised that ‘Egypt hates Hamas more than Israel’.
The poster continued: ‘The only group of people capable of keeping your country safe from this nonsense is Israel.
‘Show some respect instead of calling them “pigs”, in fact, stick to making good food instead of geopolitical analysis.’
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