In a startling development, three former baristas from Farley's East in Oakland, California have claimed that the coffee shop's owners were aware of the antisemitic graffiti in the restroom for months. The trio, who were fired after a video went viral showing them blocking a Jewish woman from entering the restroom, argue that they are being unfairly scapegoated.

In an emailed statement, the former employees reiterated their support for the Palestinian cause while denying any antisemitic intent in their actions. They insisted that they did not deny the woman access to the restroom because of her religion. Instead, they blamed their termination on the owners' failure to protect them amidst a right-wing doxxing campaign that targeted their fellow coworkers with violence and hatred.

The incident, which was caught on camera on December 3, shows the three employees gleefully preventing the woman from using the restroom. They can be heard chanting "Free Palestine" and accusing her of supporting Israel's seizure of private property. Prior to the video, the customer had complained about graffiti inside the restroom that read "Zionism = fascism." The baristas defended the graffiti, which the video captured. They now claim that one of the owners, Chris Hillyard, was aware of the prominent graffiti for a period of two months.

The former staffers maintained that the owners decided to leave the graffiti untouched, even though no one knew who had written it. According to the statement, the customer began filming the staff and other customers without consent and insisted on using the restroom with the graffiti. As a compromise, the staff offered her another restroom, but she refused and chose to enter the graffiti-filled one instead. She recorded the graffiti on her phone and swiftly left.

The following day, a different set of staff fielded a complaint from another customer about the graffiti, prompting the manager to request the owners to remove it to protect the staff from further harassment. The ex-employees contend that Chris Hillyard only took action after Farley's received numerous one-star reviews and the video went viral.

Aside from accusing the owners of ignoring the graffiti, the former baristas also claimed that they were not supported during the aggressive harassment and doxxing they faced. The owners, Amy and Chris Hillyard, responded by posting on social media that the employees' behavior shown in the video was "shocking and unacceptable," leading to their termination.

However, the former staff members harshly criticized the owners' response as an attempt to justify the harassment they experienced. They argued that the blame was placed solely on the staff, despite Chris Hillyard's alleged knowledge of the graffiti for several months. As a result of their coworkers' treatment, three additional staffers have reportedly resigned.

One of the departed employees, former manager Adan Ortega, expressed his disillusionment with the Hillyards, stating that they prioritized self-protection over the well-being of their staff. He believed that their apology would only invite further harassment against the fired employees as it seemingly validated the claims of antisemitism.

Farley's East issued an apology prior to terminating the three baristas, acknowledging that the staff had mishandled the situation and expressing regret for the distress caused to the customer. They also confirmed that corrective measures had been taken with the staff and the offensive graffiti had been removed.

At the time of reporting, the Hillyards have not responded to the allegations made by the former employees. The incident has sparked significant outrage, shedding light on the importance of addressing antisemitism and ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all customers and staff.

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