Caulfield, Melbourne: Tense scenes emerge after pro-Palestinian burger restaurant went up in flames under ‘suspicious’ circumstances
Tense scenes broke out on the streets of Melbourne on Friday afternoon after a ‘suspicious fire’ destroyed a burger restaurant owned by a pro-Palestinian supporter.
Footage filmed outside the Falafel Omisi restaurant in Caulfield, Melbourne’s south-east, on Friday afternoon shows a group of allegedly pro-Palestinian supporters arguing with several people.
Cries of ‘let’s not fight’ and ‘they started it’ can be heard as the two groups clash. One man appears to launch a water bottle at another man as police intervene.
Falafel Omisi is located next to Burgertory restaurant, which burned down overnight in a fire that police consider ‘suspicious’.
Victoria police arrested several people after the scuffle to ‘keep the peace’.
Burgertory’s Caulfield branch in Melbourne’s south-east burned down around 4am on Friday (pictured)
“Police responded to reports of clashes between people in Caulfield on November 10,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.
“A verbal altercation is believed to have occurred between approximately 15 people on Glen Huntly Road just after 2.30pm.
‘A number of people were briefly detained in an attempt to keep the peace. One woman was briefly arrested because she could not identify herself.
‘No one was injured in the incident.
“Police will be present in the area for the safety of the community and to prevent any breach of the peace.”
A man is led away by police on Friday afternoon after tense scenes on the streets of Melbourne. Several people arrested to ‘keep the peace’
Police consider the fire ‘suspicious’
Ten firefighters battled for about half an hour to extinguish the fire at Burgertory restaurant, which appears to have destroyed the establishment and shattered its glass windows.
Hash Tayeh, who turned his company into Australia’s largest independent burger chain after founding it in 2018, had sparked controversy when he shouted ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ at a rally in Melbourne a fortnight ago ‘ expressed.
Many interpret the chant as a call for the destruction of Israel.
Mr Tayeh vehemently denies that he is anti-Semitic and has since claimed that he has the deepest sympathy for the civilian victims in both Palestine and Israel.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said Daily Mail Australia detectives are now investigating the inferno.
“Emergency services were called to the fire in Glenhuntly Road just after 4.15am,” the spokesman said.
Hash Tayeh (pictured with his wife), 32 – who founded Burgertory in 2018 and has since become Australia’s largest independent burger chain – was filmed at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne two weeks ago
‘No one was inside at the time. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation but is being treated as suspicious at this stage.”
‘Anyone who witnessed the incident, or has CCTV footage, dashcam footage or any other information that could assist police, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.’
Mr Tayeh called the fire an “arson attack” and said it would “not shake my call for peace or silence me.”
“We are working closely with the authorities to investigate this alarming incident, and we are committed to assisting in any way we can,” he said.
“As an Australian of Palestinian descent and CEO of Burgertory, and as someone who cherishes life in our multicultural Australian society, I am deeply disturbed by the spread of rumors that we harbor anti-Semitic sentiments.
“I can’t emphasize enough that this couldn’t be further from the truth. My participation in pro-Palestinian rallies was driven by a desire for peace and ceasefire, not violence or division. I have lost 38 family members in Palestine and I want the violence to stop.”
He added: “I want to state unequivocally that we oppose violence in all its forms.
“Burgertory has always been a place where diversity is celebrated and unity is promoted.”
About 20,000 Jewish Australians live in the suburb of Caulfield. Daily Mail Australia in no way suggests that the alleged arson was committed by a member of the Jewish population.
Police have appealed for any witnesses or people with CCTV or dashcam footage to come forward as detectives investigate the ‘suspicious’ fire
Tayeh, 32, was filmed at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne on October 29, holding a loudspeaker and leading chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Some interpret the rallying cry as anti-Semitic because it essentially calls for the abolition of Israel by expanding the Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
“It is an anti-Semitic accusation that denies the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland,” the Anti-Defamation League said.
It has also been used by the terrorist organization Hamas as a rallying cry to expel Jews from the state of Israel.
Mr Tayeh (pictured) vehemently denies holding anti-Semitic views and has repeatedly called for ‘peace and unity, an end to the killing and suffering on both sides’
Mr Tayeh, who also led chants of ‘Shame, shame on the US, how many children did you kill today’, originally shared the footage on his Instagram page before deleting it after being inundated with criticism.
The day after the protest, the Jordanian-born entrepreneur wrote “an open letter to my Jewish friends” in response to calls from many in the Jewish community to boycott his restaurants.
He strongly rejected accusations that he held anti-Semitic views and claimed he was a “voice for peace.”
“At no stage have I ever called for harm to anyone, and I would like to emphasize that I maintain deep and meaningful friendships with members of the Jewish community.”
Burgertory has 18 stores in Melbourne, including one in the suburb of Caulfield, where 20,000 Jews live.
The latest post on Burgertory’s Instagram page is a sit-down interview with Mr Tayeh, in which he addresses the “hatred, attacks and criticism” he has received.
“Unity is the spark that ignites the flame of progress, turning a single voice into a mighty choir,” the caption reads.