An Israeli family was made to leave a Naples restaurant on Saturday after they were told, "Zionists are not welcome here."
The video of the incident, which quickly circulated on social media, depicts an exchange between the restaurant worker and an Israeli couple in which the worker can be heard blaming the customers for deaths in Gaza.
The couple claimed they were turned away solely because they are Jewish-Israelis, and called the incident an act of discrimination.
The video depicts the restaurant owner clearly telling them to leave without paying the bill.
Shocking moment Italian restaurant in Naples throws family with children out because they are Israeli. “Zionists is not welcome here.”pic.twitter.com/8SKzMh3xOw
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 4, 2025
Restaurant defends itself, condemns 'ongoing Palestinian genocide'
The restaurant – La Taverna di Santa Chiara – posted a statement on its Facebook page in defense of its actions.
It wrote that the customers had implied “support for the crimes of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people.”
“As conscientious citizens, we condemn the ongoing Palestinian genocide as a crime against humanity,” the post read.
The statement also said that the tourists accused the restaurant of antisemitism and alleged that supporting Palestinians meant supporting terrorism.
It added that it had a responsibility to take a stand “within the campaign of free zones from Israeli apartheid against the ongoing Palestinian genocide.”
The restaurant owner, Nives Monda, said on Facebook that the incident was sparked by a conversation between the Israeli couple and the couple seated at the table next to them about the beauty of Israel and the recommendation that the other couple visit.
Monda said she intervened to state her restaurant’s choice to stand against “Israeli apartheid.”
“Out of the blue, they started to attack me arrogantly, accusing me of antisemitism and threatening me, shouting at me, and filming me with their cellphones,” she wrote.