Two Second Cup café locations at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital have been shut down after the reported franchise owner was filmed making Nazi references at a pro-Palestinian protest on Thursday.
The CEO of Foodtastic, which owns the Second Cup coffee chain, confirmed the news in an interview with The Gazette on Sunday.
The franchisee, identified by Foodtastic employees as Mai Abdulhadi, was recorded outside Concordia University giving the Nazi salute and appearing to tell pro-Israel counter-protesters: “The final solution is coming your way — the final solution. You know what the final solution is?”
The phrase, infamous for its association with Nazi Germany’s plan to exterminate Jews, sparked immediate outrage on social media.
Foodtastic CEO Peter Mammas said Sunday morning that the company acted swiftly to address the incident.
“We found out at around 2 o’clock on Saturday afternoon,” Mammas said, adding he was watching Gladiator II in the theatre with his kids at the time. Given the magnitude of the incident, he said, the company moved quickly to then review video evidence and speak to employees and people on the ground to verify the allegations.
“We actually talked to her as well. We basically said: ‘Listen, we cannot allow this to happen.’ We spoke to our lawyers, and we prepared a press release. We could not send out the press release for a few hours, until the lawyers actually sent her a termination letter,” Mammas explained.
He said Abdulhadi did not explicitly confirm the allegations during their discussions, but “didn’t deny it, either.” She is now seeking legal counsel, Mammas added.
Abdulhadi and her family members are listed as business owners in Quebec’s registry, with the business’s primary sector of activity listed as takeaway services and coffee counters. One of her family members was featured in Second Cup’s 2015 annual report.
Attempts to reach Abdulhadi for comment were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
Second Cup first announced the termination of the franchisee via a social media statement on Saturday, emphasizing its “zero tolerance for hate speech” and its commitment to inclusion and community values.
Reflecting on the situation, Mammas said the company stands completely against such “violent and hateful” remarks.
“Political views are up to individuals, but things like this? We can’t tolerate that.”
The two affected Second Cup locations have since been closed, with Foodtastic planning to bring them under temporary corporate ownership.
“We’re going to figure out a way to reopen the stores quickly,” Mammas said, adding the roughly 12 employees at the locations will continue to be paid during the transition.
Mammas said the response to the company’s decision has been “overwhelmingly positive,” including support from franchisees of diverse backgrounds. However, he added, he had seen some negative responses online, including “silly” threats like breaking Second Cup windows.
Carl Thériault, a spokesperson for the Jewish General Hospital, said in a statement Sunday the hospital was made aware of the videos relating to one of its franchisees and “fully supports” Second Cup’s decision.
“This video is related to a franchisee of Second Cup, one of the private tenants operating within the Jewish General Hospital. We fully support Second Cup’s decision to take swift and decisive action in this matter by shutting down the franchisee’s cafés and terminating their lease agreement,” Thériault said.
He added: “Our CIUSSS is deeply committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and stands firmly against antisemitism and any other form of discrimination or hate speech.”
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in Montreal following a series of protests.
Thursday’s pro-Palestinian demonstration saw students march through downtown Montreal in protest of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they say their universities are complicit in. On Friday, a pro-Palestinian, anti-NATO protest escalated into violent clashes, with two vehicles set ablaze, windows smashed and three arrests made.
Montreal police said Sunday further arrests may follow concerning Friday’s protest. In regards to the Nazi reference, police said no hate crime investigation is underway, as “we have not received any complaints yet.”
This story will be updated.