Toronto restaurant serving up inflammatory social media posts closes

A restaurant in Toronto that reportedly declared on social media that Zionists were Nazis has closed.

At the weekend, the owner of Foodbenders announced on Instagram that it would be closing. Online photographs show the restaurant and catering business has been boarded up.

In July, Foodbenders provoked outrage when it stated on Instagram that Zionists were not welcome. Other antisemitic posts declared “Zionists are Nazis” and denounced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a “Zionist puppet,” among other inflammatory claims. There were also posts accusing Jewish groups of controlling elected officials and the media.

Foodbenders and its owner now reportedly face a raft of legal challenges. These apparently include a C$750,000 lawsuit from a Toronto interior designer with joint Canadian and Israeli citizenship; two complaints before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and a request for the owner’s business license to be revoked for breach of a by-law that prohibits discrimination.

Announcing the closure, the owner wrote that the seriousness of the charges meant she must “focus on giving my very best defence in court.”

She added that she has raised some C$47,000 for her legal defence fund.

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