Colorado Restaurant Sparks Outrage With "No Zionists" Policy

A Vietnamese restaurant in Denver, Colorado, named Sắp Sửa, is facing widespread criticism for a policy that allegedly excludes "Zionists" from its establishment. The controversy began when the restaurant's official Instagram account posted an image with the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." When questioned by users about its stance on Jewish or Israeli customers, the restaurant reportedly stated, "Jews are welcome, Zionists are not." In another comment, the eatery clarified that it welcomes everyone except those who support what it described as "an Israeli genocidal, apartheid, and ethno-supremacist regime."

The Colorado Jewish Alliance and the StopDontShop initiative, affiliated with StopAntisemitism, shared screenshots of these exchanges. They accused the owners, Anna and Ni Nguyen, of indirectly excluding a significant portion of the Jewish community and questioned the legality of such a policy under Colorado's anti-discrimination laws.

The controversy escalated when a user mentioned the September 11th attacks. Ni Nguyen, co-owner and chef, responded by claiming "nine Israelis were dancing and celebrating," echoing an antisemitic conspiracy theory related to the 2001 attacks. In a subsequent video, Nguyen reiterated support for the Palestinian cause and directed insults at Israel and the singer Pink, who had recently criticized rapper Macklemore.

StopAntisemitism has urged the Colorado Attorney General to investigate whether the restaurant's stated policy and remarks violate local laws.