Jewish Man Denied Service at Officeworks for Pro-Israel Article
A Jewish man was denied service at an Officeworks store in Melbourne, Australia, by a staff member who was "pro-Palestine" and refused to laminate a page from the Australian Jewish News.
The incident occurred in March 2024, when the man, who was wearing a yarmulke, went to the store to laminate a page from the newspaper. The staff member, who identified herself as a department manager, refused him service, stating that she was "pro-Palestine" and that Officeworks had the right to deny jobs due to political beliefs.
The man argued that the store's policies did not give employees the right to discriminate against customers based on their political or religious views. The staff member, however, insisted that she was not comfortable proceeding with the job.
The incident was caught on camera and has since sparked outrage in the Australian Jewish community. Officeworks has since apologized for the incident and taken disciplinary action against the staff member, who will reportedly undergo training on diversity and inclusion.
The incident has raised concerns about antisemitism in Australia and the increasing polarization of the Israel-Palestine conflict. It has also led to calls for Officeworks to implement more stringent policies against discrimination.
Statement from Officeworks Managing Director Sarah Hunter
"We learned of the incident in March 2024. We were deeply disappointed that it occurred and confirm that the customer’s job should have been performed by the team member. We confirm that we have taken this matter extremely seriously, investigated the matter at the time and took appropriate disciplinary action. The views expressed by the team member are not Officeworks’ views," she said.
"At Officeworks, we do not discriminate against our customers on the basis of political views, religious beliefs, gender, sexuality or race."
Statement from the Anti-Defamation Commission
"It may begin with the Jews being turned away from a public business, but it will not end with the Jews, and red lines are now being crossed that I never thought I’d see in my lifetime," said Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission.
"He said there should be zero tolerance for this kind of profiling and indefensible prejudice."
Statement from the Australian Jewish News
"To deny a customer who simply wants to laminate an article from our publication reeks of ignorance and antisemitism," said Gareth Narunsky, editor-in-chief of the Australian Jewish News.
Statement from State Member for Caulfield, David Southwick
"The incident unacceptable. I have written to Officeworks managing director Sarah Hunter, saying the company must now publicly apologize to the individual involved, publicly apologize to the Jewish community, provide staff at the store with proper antisemitism education programs, and guarantee that this behaviour will never happen again," said David Southwick, State Member for Caulfield.
