A group of Jewish Londoners claim they were thrown out of a Greek taverna in London after a row with the owner over Gaza. The incident occurred at Taverna Axiotissa, where Jude Lobb, 48, was dining with her husband, two teenage daughters, and two other families.
According to reports, a child from the group went to the toilet and found a sign reading “Boycott Israeli apartheid”. A waitress then accused a member of the party of trying to remove a poster or sticker. The owner reportedly stormed over and shouted at them to “get the f***k out”.
Ms Lobb told the Daily Mail: “He shouted so loudly that other diners could hear, ‘They are Zionists!’ As we left, we were jeered at by other people in the restaurant.” Nicola Gee, 50, also part of the group, said: “It was that public humiliation which was the most shocking thing. It was like we had yellow stars from the Holocaust imprinted on us.”
The owner allegedly followed them to the car park, shouting that they were “killing f***ing babies” and “supporting this genocide”. The families were made to pay their bill before leaving. Ms Gee said they considered calling the police but feared they would side with the owner.
However, owner Giannis Vassilas defended his actions, stating that a member of the group tore a sticker reading “Boycott Israel apartheid”. He said: “We called her Zionist supporter of war crimes… we strongly believe it is our right to [make public statements]. When someone is aggressive and disrespectful… we have every right and reason to ask them to leave.”
