On May 22, three days after the incident involving Zante restaurant and pro-Hamas activists, Rebel News spoke with co-owner Mr. Costa Dimitriou, who explained what happened.

Unfortunately, the restaurant received multiple threatening messages and several hundred negative reviews on Google after the incident. On Instagram, we were also able to see calls to boycott the restaurant and to massively leave negative reviews.

Mr. Dimitriou therefore had to contact Google with the police report in order to have those comments removed.

The restaurant co-owner declined to speak on camera because he wants to move on and hopes the negative attention dies down.

Now, let me explain what happened.

Last Tuesday, May 19, several anti-Israel protesters held a 24-hour sit-in outside the office of Liberal MP Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, right beside the restaurant.

When Mr. Dimitriou arrived around 4:30 p.m., the protesters were already there. According to him, they had around three different loudspeakers and were shouting the usual slogans such as, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and so on.

The protesters, who already occupied a large section of the sidewalk, allegedly began moving directly in front of the restaurant terrace, blocking access to the establishment.

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Mr. Dimitriou reportedly asked them multiple times to clear the entrance and was allegedly told to “f*ck off.”

As seen in the footage, protesters also harassed the valet, who is himself Algerian.

Costa repeatedly asked police officers if they could contain the protesters so they would stop blocking the entrance and standing directly in front of the terrace where clients were trying to eat. According to Costa, police did not cooperate.

The co-owner explained to me that several clients dining on the terrace were disturbed by the situation, and that multiple reservations were cancelled because of the protest.

He even had to relocate guests staying at his hotel to rooms at the back of the building because of the noise caused by the protesters.

At around 7:30 p.m., after receiving no cooperation from either the police or the protesters, Costa grabbed a garden hose in an attempt to disperse the protesters from the front of his restaurant.

That was the moment police intervened — not against the protesters, but against the restaurant owner — warning him that he could not do that and threatening him with charges if he continued.

The protesters remained there and were still present when he returned the next day.

Costa also explained that he had to physically defend himself after one protester allegedly followed him onto the terrace, forcing him to push the individual back.

Based on an image of the protester in question shown to us by the restaurant owner, we recognized the individual as Bara Abuhamed, one of the leaders of Montreal4Palestine previously arrested at Carrefour Laval for unlawful assembly and allegedly assaulting a police officer.

He and his father are also known for leading Islamist street prayers in front of Notre-Dame Basilica.

As Mr. Dimitriou explained, regardless of the cause being protested, he says he would have reacted the same way. For him, this was about respect and basic decency — something he believes the protesters failed to demonstrate.

Also visible in the footage was Samar Alkhdour, the Palestinian “refugee” who we previously encountered, and shouted insults and insulted our country.

Do you remember this report?

Online, many people expressed support for the restaurant owner, as a large part of the population appears increasingly fed up with the weekly protests — street blockades, vandalism, disruption of businesses — while police seem unwilling or unable to control the situation.

The Formula 1 weekend is approaching, and several protesters have apparently called for people to return and disrupt the restaurant again.

There is nothing peaceful about targeting restaurant owners who are simply trying to run their business.

UPDATE:

On Sunday, May 24, the Montreal4Palestine group allegedly returned in front of the restaurant once again, continuing to disrupt the establishment.