Anti-Israel cafe standoff sparks protest

Australia-based ambassador upset

A protest broke out today across from the Invercargill cafe where the owner refused to serve two Israeli women earlier this week.

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About 12 pro-Israel protestors gathered across the road from the Mevlana Cafe about 12.30pm.

Mevlana owner Mustafa Tekinkaya, a Turkish Muslim, told two Israeli women, Natalie Bennie and her sister Tamara Shefa, to leave his cafe on Wednesday.

He said he would not serve anyone from Israel until it stopped killing innocent babies and women in the Gaza Strip. Mr Tekinkaya, and his wife Joanne, said they had no family members living on the Gaza Strip.

Countering today's pro-Israel protestors were three supporters of Mr Tekinkaya's stand, who gathered outside his shop.

The protest action follows a call by Israel's ambassador to New Zealand — Australian-based Yuval Rotem — for our government to ensure nothing similar to happened again: "This anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish sentiment needs to be stopped."

"At this moment you don't need to bring the Middle East into New Zealand ... you need to take the spirit of New Zealand into the Middle East," he said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Commission yesterday confirmed Mrs Bennie had lodged a complaint, while 15 others had called the commission.

Race Relations commissioner Joris de Bres said it was illegal for providers of goods and services in New Zealand to discriminate in this way.

And protests against Israel's military offensive on Gaza moved to an international chess tournament in Queenstown yesterday.

The Israeli top seed, Victor Mikhalevski, was asked to withdraw by Global Peace and Justice Auckland from the $50,000 tournament as an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Signed by veteran protester John Minto, the letter said campaigners would ask tournament organisers to expel Mikhalevski if he did not voluntarily withdraw.

However, Mikhalevski refused to bow out and his decision to remain in the tournament was backed by organisers.

Mr Tekinkaya's action has sparked international media interest as well as debate within New Zealand.

More than 100 comments were posted on the Stuff website, with the vast majority condemning the cafe owner.

Mr and Mrs Tekinkaya yesterday remained defiant.

"Those dead women and children don't have a voice," Mrs Tekinkaya said.

"No one's sticking up for them. Innocent women and children are being punished so how can we be quiet and stand by and support that.

"... what happened to freedom of speech and the rights of a business to serve or not to serve?"

The cafe's neighbouring takeaway shop, Turkish Kebabs, also said on Wednesday it was not serving Israelis.

Mr Tekinkaya said he had received dozens of phone calls from people supporting him and a handful of calls opposed to his stance.

Mrs Bennie said from her home near Invercargill she and her visiting Israeli sister had received over a dozen calls from strangers to say they were appalled by Mr Tekinkaya's stance.

Ambassador Rotem said New Zealand should not become part of the conflict and the government needed to make a declaration or statement giving the "red light" to such actions.

He expected "full fledged action" from the government and would address the issue when he visited New Zealand in the next few weeks, he said.

Foreign Affairs minister Murray McCully did not return calls last night.

Mrs Bennie commended the Israeli ambassador's actions, saying Mr Tekinkaya had displayed "anti-semitic" behaviour.

"He might as well have put a sign outside his shop saying 'No Jews Allowed'."

Mrs Bennie said her mother, who lives in Israel, was concerned she could now become a target for New Zealand radical Muslims.

"It could be a possibility, you never know."

WHAT THEY SAID:

Israel's ambassador to New Zealand Yuval Rotem:
"This anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish sentiment needs to be stopped.

"At this moment you don't need to bring the Middle East into New Zealand ... You need to take the spirit of New Zealand into the Middle East."

Mustafa Tekinkaya, Mevlana Cafe co-owner:
"Everyone is going on about racism. This has nothing to do with racism. This is all about the killing of innocent children."

Joanne Tekinkaya, Mevlana Cafe co-owner: "Those dead women and children don't have a voice. No one's sticking up for them. Innocent women and children are being punished, so how can we be quiet and stand by and support that ... what happened to freedom of speech and the rights of a business to serve or not to serve?"

Natalie Bennie, Israeli national ordered out of the Mevlana Cafe in Invercargill:
"It was very anti-semitic behaviour.

"He (Mustafa Tekinkaya) might as well have put a sign outside his shop saying `No Jews Allowed'."

- © Fairfax NZ News