Update: 3 Oakland cafe workers out of a job after confrontation over anti-Semitic graffiti
Three Oakland cafe workers are no longer on the job following a confrontation this past week with a customer over anti-Semitic graffiti found in the coffee shop's bathroom.
According to a statement released by the coffee shop owners The incident occurred when a female customer noticed graffiti in the bathroom and tried to take a picture of it.
UPDATE: Oakland cafe workers say owner knew about anti-Semitic graffiti
The woman recorded employees of Farley's East coffee shop blocking her access to the bathroom, while making anti-Israel comments.
In the video, one employee is heard telling the woman, "This is private property" before asking her to leave.
"I want to go into the restroom," the woman says.
Another employee said, "I know Israel loves taking private property and saying it's their own…"
"You're not going to let me into the restroom?" the woman responds.
CBS News Bay Area has not be able to confirm the woman's identity. Other news outlets have reported that she is Jewish.
Eventually the employees let the woman in. Once inside the bathroom, she recorded images -- including the message "Zionism is fascism" written below a bathroom mirror.
As the woman was leaving the coffee shop, the staffers also appear to dismiss the woman's concerns and say, "Free Palestine."
The coffee shop's operators announced that the location would remain closed this weekend following the controversy over the incident.
The cafe posted a a statement in the window apologizing for the incident. It said in part, "Nothing we say can adequately capture the pain and terror that Hamas inflicted on innocent civilians, nor the horrific suffering and loss of innocent Palestinian lives in Gaza since then. These difficult times should bring us together... and this starts with us creating a safe space for anyone who patronizes our coffeehouse."
According to the statement issued by a group of former and current baristas at Farley's East, six workers are no longer working at the location after video of the confrontation with the customer was widely shared on social media.
Three of the workers involved in the confrontation were fired and an additional three employees quit following the incident, the statement said.
