BROOKLYN, NY — Dozens of activists gathered outside Poetica Coffee in Williamsburg on Wednesday after the Brooklyn café publicly refunded a purchase made by U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, and said it would have refused service had staff recognized him when he entered the shop.
Members of the advocacy group #EndJewHatred rallied outside the café on Lorimer Street, holding signs and chanting as police maintained barriers around the demonstration.
“This kind of discrimination cannot become normal,” an #EndJewHatred spokesperson said. “Racism is wrong. Antisemitism is wrong. Targeting Jews will not be tolerated.”
The protest followed a social media post by Poetica Coffee that targeted Goldman, a Jewish Democrat who represented parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn before losing Tuesday's Democratic primary to former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.
Poetica Coffee has since removed its post, and disabled its account.
After Goldman purchased coffee at the shop while campaigning, Poetica refunded the purchase and wrote that staff would have turned him away had they recognized him.
The post stated, in part:
“Too bad we didn't recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. Don't ever come to Poetica.”
The café also wrote that it does not serve “racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between.”
Poetica did not respond to a request for comment, and its phone number has been removed from the website.
Goldman later told CNN that his interaction with staff had been cordial and said the incident reflected growing political division.
“What is going on in the Middle East is horrific,” Goldman said. “The idea of accusing someone you don't know of supporting a genocide, it's crazy.”
A small group of counterprotesters gathered nearby Wednesday, chanting “Free Palestine” through megaphones.
At one point, officers removed a member of the anti-Zionist Jewish group Neturei Karta who attempted to approach demonstrators, according to Reuters.
The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division announced June 22 that it had opened an investigation into the incident.
Separately, The Lawfare Project, a legal advocacy organization, filed a referral with the New York City Commission on Human Rights requesting a commission-initiated investigation into Poetica's actions.
In its filing, the group argued that Poetica's public statements may constitute unlawful discrimination in a place of public accommodation under the New York City Human Rights Law.
The complaint cites the café's refund of Goldman's purchase, its statement that it would have denied service if staff had recognized him and references in the post to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.
The filing asks the commission to investigate whether the café violated city laws governing public accommodations, discriminatory notices and associational discrimination.
The Lawfare Project's allegations have not been adjudicated, and the New York City Commission on Human Rights has not announced any findings.
The controversy has generated sharply divided reactions online.
The protest also became a platform for broader concerns about antisemitism and political rhetoric.
Civil rights attorney Brooke Goldstein, who spoke at the rally, criticized elected officials whom she said have not done enough to confront antisemitism.
As demonstrators dispersed, officers remained stationed around the block while customers continued entering and leaving the café.
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