Roughly 50 people gathered outside a Poetica Coffee location in Brooklyn Wednesday morning to protest the chain's refusal to serve Rep. Dan Goldman (D., N.Y.) over his support for Israel.
The incident, which came to light after Poetica announced on social media it was refunding Goldman's $9.82 purchase and that he was not welcome back, ignited a firestorm and a federal probe from the Department of Justice.
Protest and Backlash
Goldman said after the fact that he'd bought a coffee at the branch after his seven-year-old daughter used its restroom, and that the barista had provided excellent service. Later, he told CNN that he did not think the DOJ should investigate the incident.
Others at risk of being targeted by Poetica said they felt differently. "As a Jewish civil rights movement we need to stand strong and stand firm, which is why we're here today. A Jew was denied service, full stop. Period," Michelle Ahdoot, director of programming and strategy at End Jew Hatred told the Washington Free Beacon.
Many attendees carried Israeli and American flags, and one man held a blown-up image of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marching together during the civil rights movement.
"I am appalled at what happened in this coffee shop," said Susan Schwartz, a retiree who attended the event. "Nobody has a right to exclude someone because of their political beliefs. Nobody should do this.
About 20 counterprotesters were also arrayed at the edges of the event, many of whom came from the extremist Neturei Karta Jewish sect which is passionately anti-Israel. Other supporters of Poetica, many of whom were overweight, congregated inside the coffee shop, leering at protest organizers and the press.
Parviz Mukhamadkulov, the tax-cheating owner, was nowhere to be found. Poetica cofounder Shahnoza Dusmatova was also MIA.